Under His Laws
by CrystalNight1
Summary: When the rebels attack the castle, the princess is obligated to leave. What happens when she falls in love with her enemy and she is being followed? Will she ever be free of her royal life as a princess? "Then I defy you, stars!" -Romeo and Juliet, 5.1
1. The Beginning

**I've been writting this thing for three frakin' weeks! Can you imagine? It's fifteen pages. FMA AU. It's during the French Revolution ... Selim is normal and not evil! Cuz I love that boy... :) Winry And Ed are around twenty twenty one, Selim is supposed to be fifteen along with another character that will appear later on... Kukuku! Cliffy...**

**P.S. The story is supposed to be like, imagine in a play... or somthing along those lines. It is divided into parts and those parts are divided with qoutes. Bla, bla, bla. I hope you guys understand the format of the story 'cuz... honestly... I re-read this with my friends and even _I _think it's a bit wierd. But, hey! I think it came out pretty well. (-0.0-)**

**Anyways, to the DISCLAIMER!**

**I do not own Full Metal Alchemist, If I did, Hohenhiem (sp?) would be most likely alive and not dead. Rest in Peace Hohenhiem, I woves you! T-T!**

* * *

_Part I _

"_This day's black fate on more days doth depend:  
This but begins the woe others must end."  
_- William Shakespeare, _Romeo and Juliet_, 3.1

The rustling noises of the friction created by the dress and the brushes made the young girl groan and hide. Her long, golden locks fell on her blue eyes in the dark of the night. She crouched and hid from her searchers and she could only think why she was in this situation. Such an insult to her… '_How dare they treat me as such!_' She had thought as she ran to where she knelt now. She reached down with her right hand and grasped the end of her dress - which reached her knees – and pulled it up a bit, ripping a piece of it. Once ripped, she wrapped it around the blood gushing cut on her leg and winced at the sudden contact. She bit her lip, smothering a moan when she heard the sound of the horses' shoe approach. She got down completely and the men – bounty hunters – talked to one another.

'_Thump…Thump…' _She held her breath and felt a salty drop of sweat caress her cheek and then her chin, and finally it had fallen to soil. And she thought if they had heard it for she closed her eyes in panic. '_Thump… Thump!' _she heard her heart race as she heard the sound of the horses become distant. She let out a relieved sigh and stood up slowly in case they heard her. She rested her hands on her knees for support and stood up straight. She dusted herself off from the dust and walked back one step. Then two. Three. And then she hit something and she knew it wasn't a tree. She was near a clearing, and she hid in between bushes- not trees. She held her breath and turned her face around to find a man with a serious expression.

"Your majesty…" The man whispered near her ear and she, in response, shuddered to the feel of his hot breath on the crook of her neck. She turned around completely and stood in front of the man. She sighed and smiled. Then, she burst out in a joyous laughter, and tears prickled her eyes. "You shouldn't be laughing…" He continued, "Are you sick? Did they do something to you? Shouldn't you be crying or…" But he was cut off by her nodding no.

"I was scared that… I was going to die. I lost you for a minute and thus I realized how scary a situation without a guardian is. That's all. I am not sick if you are concerned of my health as you say you are…" She gave him a genuine smile and hugged him tightly. The man stood there perplexed and hugged her back in an apologetic manner.

"Your father has been scared to death when the gossip of his daughter being kidnapped during a foreign affair reached him… He sent me right away… Have I taken so long?" She tugged his shoulders and looked at him.

"You're just in time…"

* * *

The men and women watched impatiently as her majesty walked by to take her seat in the crowed of nobles. The men who captured her were found not too far away from their kingdom. She had thought what would happen if they let the men free. They didn't kill her or hurt her. That cut… She put it upon herself to create such a wound. Yet her father begged to differ. He had told her that he did not want to hear excuses coming out of her mouth. So she bit her lip as if promising herself that she wouldn't talk about the subject anymore. Not around her dearest father at least.

Her dress dragged at the end. Her diamond incrusted necklace poked at her neck. The thought of watching men being _killed _was what bothered her. But she kept a straight face. And she walked with her eyes closed, signaling to the judge that they may continue. She put her hands behind her, and pushed the dress in front of her, so she had space to sit down. She opened her fan and waved air at herself. One of the King's servants bought the fan for her from China.

"The best for my daughter." He had told her one day when she asked why it was from such a faraway place. She had smiled and hugged her father and then ran to her room to play with it some more. But now she understood why she had such expensive clothing and accessories. She was bound to be queen of their country and she couldn't contradict her father's ruling. She was _bound_.

The clanking of chains interrupted her train of thoughts. Four men, one by one, came into view. One of them gave the young princess a death glare. And the man stared at her intently as he walked up the stairs to where the guillotine was. "For…Capturing her Majesty, Winry Rockbell, daughter of Urey Rockbelland and Sara Rockbell, who may rest in peace…King and queen of France." The judge cleared his voice, hushing the women from gossiping. "They shall be decapitated and also for acts of rebellion towards the government…," He fixed his glases and narrowed his eyes, "Please, sire..."

"Maes Hughes." The man, who was the priest, said in a loud voice for the judge to hear. Hughes had also walked up the stairs.

"Ah… Maes Hughes." The judge said in amusement.

Then, the priest began his prayers, asking God for forgiveness. _He _doesn't need to witness such a gruesome act. Or does He watch down on Earth to see men being decapitated? Does He? The princess looked down at her gloved hands once the priest finished. She could hear the clanking of the chains as well as her heart beat in her chest. '_One man…' _She thought, whispering prayers of forgiveness as well. There was silence until she heard the doctor order to cut the rope. All the men and women gasped at the blood that splashed all around, and the young princess had flinched when she heard the splashing noise of the blood. She prayed –Oh, how she prayed – and she thought that she cried or maybe whimpered by the third man's death. Was it that God or the Devil were amused making her suffer like this? No, she told herself, I made myself suffer like this.

* * *

She walked down the stairs in the castle. Servants flinched when she greeted them and she sighed each time. She gave up in trying a civilized conversation with one of them. To be able to tell _someone _of how… horrible it was to watch those men being killed. How she almost threw up in an alley in town before entering the castle. How much she missed her mother all of a sudden…

She dozed off into deep thought until she reached the dinner hall. Her father shooed away servants who brought the wrong decorations for the table, the wrong silverware and flowers. Her father only liked the most expensive type of wine; not the cheap ones. Especially during charity events with nobles. Like this night. She hated the idea of a party after the court case. After the kidnapping. During a _Revolution_. But the King insisted, seeing how the money shortage for the country was low. They had a debt to pay with other countries; he was desperate enough to make her daughter go through all this.

* * *

She walked to her room to prepare herself for the evening. It took her fifteen minutes to walk the hall that led to her bedroom door which was made out of oak. It creaked a bit and she entered, walking to a bed stand and turning on a lantern with one of the candles in the hall. She took her clothes off and stayed in her under garments. Reaching out for a comb in the bath room, she dropped a lock shaped as a heart. She grabbed the lock instead and clutched it near her heart. She brought it to her lip and gave it a chaste kiss when someone knocked on her door.

"I'll be there in a minute!" She called out to whoever was in the other side.

'_Your Majesty?' _Her guardian spoke up loud enough for her to hear.

"Yes Edward? What is it that my father wants now?" She inquired in a loud voice as well. She grabbed one of her best dresses and fumbled with the zipper.

_'Your father urged me to tell you that I shall be your escort for the evening. Is it to your liking? I think he thought that you have no man that has asked for your hand in marriage that-'_

"So he thought he could just pick you instead?" She snapped back at him when she opened the door to reveal her frustrated expression. She wore a dress that came from… She couldn't remember. She had her hair tied up in the back but kept her bangs fall on the side of her face, framing it like delicate fingers. She wore a perfume that Eduardcould not decipher its smell. She had also applied make up in an instance and wore a necklace that has been passed down over generations in her family.

"Let's walk then Edward. You're not coming?" She told him facing back as she stopped some feet away from him. "Come along. Let us speak."

"Your Majesty. Aren't you… against his decisions?"

"Why…of course! I _loathe_ my father!" She looked at him and realized that he was well dressed and she thought he was using one of her father's old clothing for he looked dashing. She also realized his look of disappointment and annoyance."I'm sorry I'm acting as an adult all of a sudden." He sighed. "Didn't I tell you not to call me '_Your Majesty'_?" She told him as they walked the few steps of the stair well.

"Your… Winry." He whispered, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her closer to him to greet the guests.

"We're friends, got it?" She told him and they walked into the dining room.

* * *

"Oh! Remember that day Urey?" One of the king's friends told him as they all laughed."How she fought in that battle made you look like the girl in your relationship!" The king chuckled at this, remembering the days he spent with his wife. "…And Winry, you've grown quite a lot!"

"We can't stay the same forever, can we?" She replied, swallowing her drink.

"Of course we can't dear. Not forever at least." One of her mother's friends, Rosé, whispered. "You know dear…" Winry rose her head to look at the woman, "…That boy over there…What's his name? Ah yes, Edward." She said proud of herself for remembering his name. "He's had his eye on you this whole time." Winry blushed at her comment."Does your father know of such a relationship? Because, I know your mother wouldn't mind, but your father… Oh! What a terrible man he is with relationships!"

And Rosé kept on talking and Winry thought if her guardian had any feelings for her. But she knew it couldn't be, because she could never be free. At least not when she lives under her father's roof.

* * *

_"O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?_  
_Deny thy father and refuse thy name._  
_Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love_  
_And I'll no longer be a Capulet."_  
- William Shakespeare, _Romeo and Juliet_, 2.2

"Ugh!" Winry groaned once the men and women left. Her father had walked to his room leaving his daughter intoxicated with excess of Champaign in her system. She grabbed her heels in her left hand and another glass of Champaign in the other. With her left arm, she pulled Edward closer to her. She sighed, "Edward! How lively is everything all of a sudden!" He chuckled at her comment. He was intoxicated himself.

"Your Majesty…I think it best if I escort you to your bedroom, shall we?" He asked her. Edward led her up the stairs to the hall. She looked up at him and gave him a wicked grin. "Are you fine?" He questioned once he realized she was looking at him with a smug grin on her face.

"We should talk. In my room. Just…relax." She commanded, opening the door for the both of them to enter. She threw her heels, drank the Champaign and took off the necklace. She waved at him to help her loosen her dress a bit. He blushed the whole time he helped her. Winry threw herself on the bed and sighed contently to the feeling of softness underneath her. "Edward…"She told him, "…come. Next to me…here." She yawned, patting the spot next to her.

Edward lay down next to her as she ordered and closed his eyes, sighing as well. "The shoes Edward." She reminded him, snuggling into her pillow. He shook his shoes off, resting his tired feet on the bed.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about…Your Majesty?" She glared at him for his comment. "Forgive me Higness. I cannot call you by your first name… I'm not yet accustomed." He explained, blinking some times. They lay there in silence, as the quietness engulfed them, making the moment awkward.

"I… Don't like it." She broke their silence.

"What?"

"This castle. My father." She raised her head to look at him. "When I was in the court case… it felt terrible. Those…innocent men being killed! They didn't do anything to me and you know it as well as I do."

"Are you hinting something?" She glared at her, leaning on his right shoulder.

"I don't want to carry my name anymore." He lifted his eyebrow, "If being a queen means that innocent people will be killed then I-"

"They _kidnapped _you!" He growled.

"And it was my fault! Not theirs!" She snapped back at him and stood up on the bed. "Maybe… Maybe I could escape. Change my name." She rested her hand on his. With pleading eyes, she looked at him. Those eyes pierced right through his soul and it hurt to see her like this. "Will you help me?" She begged in a hushed tone. Winry knew though, that it was the alcohol making her say this but… A part of her conscience longed for this. Was it the alcohol or her longing for freedom?

"Forgive me Higness…" He rose from the bed and walked out of the room, leaving her in her room. Edward stopped in front of her door after it closed shut behind him and he rested his head on the wood. '_Edward!' _He could hear her shout in despair; her voice cracking along with her heart. "Forgive me." He whispered one last time and left. Winry cried herself to sleep that night.

* * *

In the morning a maid woke her up in a rushed way. She snapped her eyes open and looked at the maid with a dumbfounded look. She mumbled a _'what?' _and the maid shook her roughly this time.

"Your Majesty! I beg for you to wake up!" She shouted. Winry woke up after hearing the worried sound in the maid's voice. "They're here. You must leave. There is no time to wait!"

Winry took a time to process what she heard. _'Who's here? Is it my father? Why must I leave all of a sudden?' _She questioned herself. Then she heard the one word to understand what was happening. Rebels. That is what she heard. _'Rebels, rebels, rebels…' _She repeated the word countless of times.

She got up in an instance and asked, "My father? Where is he?" The maid looked down at her feet and bit her lip. "Help me…" She whispered. "Do you know the secret ways around the castle?" The maid nodded yes. "Let me change as fast as I can. We'll leave in five minutes. Understood?" Her response was another nod.

* * *

They walked down peddle stone made sewers. The lantern's fire flickered in the darkness as the princess and her follower found the exit. "Do you know about Edward?" She spoke up grabbing the young girl's attention.

"No Your Highness." She spoke up as well. "I haven't heard of him since yesterday. Did anything happen?"

"No. Nothing has happened." She told her. She knew they were close to the city ground right after the next turn. Right, then left, and exit.

The Sun shined bright in the sky making Winry and her companion close their eyes to adjust to the sudden change of light. Once the princess opened her eyes she took in a deep breath. _'A new beginning maybe? This is my ticket out of such a miserable life…' _But there was another problem bothering her. It was that she knew about the rebels and what they've been doing to dukes and noble families. She shuddered, wondering to herself if they captured her father.

* * *

_"Good Night, Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow."_  
- William Shakespeare, _Romeo and Juliet_, 2.2

Winry's crystal eyes watched the fiery sun set beyond the city skyline. The dazzling show of pink and orange played across the cobblestone road where she stood. She wore her simple cotton dress and her long golden hair was tied up with a clip -her mother had given her - before escaping the castle. She left her maid, whose name is Nina, sleeping peacefully in a shelter not too far away from the city.

She continued down the street, her leather boots echoing upon the stones beneath her. A little further down the road, she stopped. The building in front of her was a tavern, squished between a storehouse and some person's home. It was built of wood and albedo and candles flickered inside; you could see them through the glass windows. A worn wooden sign swung in the gentle breeze. She had come with Edward to this tavern once, '_The Dragon's Nest_'.

Winry approached the place and knocked loudly on the oak door. It was still not open, but she knew it would open later. Presently, a young boy around fifteen opened the door. His brown hair framed his slightly freckled face and made him resemble a younger child. She raised her eyebrow and eyed the kid with disbelief. He opened the door, stretching his arm for her to enter. She sauntered in, legs shaking a bit, and forced herself inside.

"Your Majesty…" The boy said. He ordered a drink from the bar tender who served it in seconds before she could muster a single protest.

"Oh, I haven't seen you in ages. You shocked me…" She replied gingerly and hugged the young boy – who was only five years younger – in her warm embrace. "Are you okay? Your mother?"

"She's been fine Winry." He sighed, blowing a strand of hair at of his eyesight. She giggled at his childish ways. "Don't laugh…"He pouted, a blush crept up his cheeks. She stopped laughing and coughed a bit, sitting down on the chair once more. "Why have you come? If they knew you were here then-"

"Silly boy." She teased, "You never cease to amaze me Selim. Have you seen him?"

He knew who she spoke about. It was clearly written all over his face, '_I don't know.' _He slumped into the chair next to hers and sighed as well. "Forgive me. He has only sent a letter and no more." She looked at him and smiled. "You have an idea don't you princess?"

"Why…Selim. Is your brother around?" She asked curiously and he gave her a confused look.

* * *

"Brother, open this God damned door!" Selim pounded roughly on it. "Brother!"

"Kain!" Winry yelled along with Selim.

The door opened. A young man around his twenties came out wearing glasses that were tilted to the side, his hair stood up like spikes, and his expression went from annoyed to relax. He cleaned his oiled hand on his overall and grabbed Winry's. "Your Majesty." He kissed her hand. Selim made an expression of him vomiting and Winry arched her eyebrow. "And you boy…" Selim pointed at himself. "Yes, you! How many times have I told you not interrupt my studies!" He grounded the young boy who flushed deeply.

"Brother! How many times have _I _told _you _not explode anything!" He yelled back, entering the laboratory filled with glass containers with liquids of different colors in them.

Winry eyed the room that had skeletons hanging on the walls. There were containers that stood on shelves with specimens of dead animal in them. In the far left was Kain's desk with a paper on it. She walked to it as the brothers continued bickering. She grabbed it and gave it a glance. _'A letter? Could it be…?' _

"Kain." She spoke up and they stopped fighting.

"Yes Winry?" He asked her. Selim seemed to be uncomfortable next to his brother.

"Is this letter from Edward by any chance?"

"Well yes it is. Don't you know that-" Selim put his hand on his mouth, muffling his words.

"That he went on a mission Your Majesty!" Selim said instead.

"Really on a mission?" she gazed at the paper on her hand again and sighed. "Do you know his location? Or where he could have gone?"

"Well not really…" Kain told her with disappointment. "But there is a bright side."

"What?" Both Selim and Winry asked.

"I think there is a code in the letter. You see, he writes…" He walked over to Wiinry and grabbed the letter in his hand, "…_Mission, Mision_." He pointed out. "Then, he wrote _whereabouts, wereabouts. _I don't know what to say but… That's a code."

Winry sighed. "I can't help you then. I'm no good with anything that has to do with codes…" She looked up at them. "Have you seen my father or heard about him?"

"Forgive us Highness…" They knelt down on the floor. "We heard he was captured by the rebels."Selim talked in a quiet tone.

Winry gasped, "You're joking aren't you? It can't be…It can't…" She felt herself weak on the knees and fell on the ground. She felt tears prickle her eyes and closed them, gasping for air. "I can't….become a queen…I didn't want this…" She whispered, a tear caressing her cheek.

"It will be fine Winry…" Selim hugged the young princess, "We'll help you find him…" Her hands snaked behind his neck and hugged him back. She could only breathe in and out.

* * *

Winry woke up in a dark room with only one candle lit. The bed beneath her was messy, with the covers tangled near her feet. Her head was spinning when she sat up. She grabbed her head and flinched at the feeling. The door was slightly open and a man sat on a chair outside of her room. She stood up gently, not wanting to fall. Her knees trembled, and she grabbed on to the nightstand. She walked; left then right, right then left. When she found herself close to the wooden door, she grabbed the side of it and pulled it back to see who was on the chair. It was Selim, sleeping peacefully with his head tilted to the right and his lips parted. She could hear his erratic breathing. She rested her hand on his forehead and pulled his hair back . Leaning in to plant a kiss, she heard him whimper in his sleep. She walked out of the room and heard Selim mumble incoherent words, and then she heard him say '_Edward_'. She stopped in her tracks and leaned into the wall, letting tears fall freely.

* * *

Winry awoke in the same room from earlier but this time her eyes were stained from crying. She stood up again and Selim walked into the room with good news.

"We know Highness!" He burst out when he entered the room. "We know his whereabouts!"

Her face lit up with happiness after hearing those words. He hugged her and twirled her around the room. They both laughed and he settled her down on the ground. She gave him a kiss on the cheek making him blush.

"Where is he Selim?" She asked him. He walked to the table in front of the bed and took out a dusty- old – looking map of France. He unraveled it and put it on top of the bed. Selim's index finger moved to the south of the country and stopped in a small city named Cahors. "There?" She asked dumbfounded.

"Yes. We believe he has gone south." He told her and folded the map again and kept it in his right pocket.

"Isn't that were the rebels are?" No response. "Is he…?"

"We believe so Highness."

* * *

_"These violent delights have violent ends  
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,  
Which as they kiss consume."  
- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 2.3_

Shoes echoed as a man walked through a corridor. There were candles in each door he passed by, illuminating his face. He wore a cape and leather shoes. He had a vintage watch inside the pocket of his suit, and he wore one of the finest pants in Europe.

He stopped and neared a door, opening it slowly and entering the dark room. A man was sitting in the middle of it with a map in front of him. The first man grabbed the sitting person by the neck, pulling him up to his feet and whispering venomously in his ear, "You should have killed her!"

The other man put his hands on his attacker's hands and unclenched them from his neck. He turned around to face his crimson eyes. "You know I couldn't kill her even if I tried. Guards everywhere…How could I, Bradley?" He snapped back.

Bradley walked away and stopped in the door, "You'll kill her Edward."

* * *

Winry moaned in delight as she twirled the spoon in her mouth, tasting the raspberry and cherry shortcake. They had been in the train for a day and a half, leaving Nina in the city, seeing as she doesn't need her anymore. Kain had given Winry two new dresses, both dark colors, so if any rebel saw them then they won't suspect anything.

The train abruptly stopped in their last station. People pushed to get out. Winry stood up, leaving the fork in the plate. Kain stopped her, and Selim moved up to see if anyone suspicious was around. Selim turned around and nodded.

They got out of the train and sighed deeply. "Finally!" Winry exclaimed, crossing her arms behind her. "Is this Cahors Selim?" She asked the young teenager next to her.

"Yes. Now we must find a place to rest for the night."

"We have a lot to do, don't we?" Kain asked, pulling his brother closer to him by the neck. Winry smiled for the first time in a week.

* * *

They walked up to a small pub. Their shoes echoed in the marooned streets of Cahors. Winry didn't mind asking where they were going because she knew the brothers had friends down south. Kain knocked on the door of the pub which was in between two houses.

Winry knocked on the door with her leather shoes when they didn't open. A woman came out wearing a dark colored dress with a light colored overall over it; a hat rested over her brown, short locks and a pair of glasses on her nose. Her eyes sparkled and a smile form on her lips. "Kain, Selim." She greeted both men, who bowed. Her eyes fell on Winry, "Your Majesty." She bowed.

"You flatter me." Winry told the young girl.

"My maiden." Selim stated, "How have you been Sheska?" He grabbed her hand and kissed it, making her blush a deep red.

She giggled, "I have been fine Selim." She whispered. "Enter, please, it's my honor." She told the princess who entered instantly.

The pub was filled with books of all sorts. Alchemy, philosophy, chemistry, cooking…Even Greek mythology! Winry's eyes widen and turned back to see the trio, "Why would a pub be filled with books?"

"I inherited it from my brother who passed away recently. He was part of the group of rebels, which I was against from the start." She told Winry, tucking a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear.

"Did you receive my letter by any chance?" Kain asked. Sheska walked to the counter, and on top a book was a paper folded neatly. She opened it and showed it to him. "Ah…I see you didn't find anything else. Or…?"

"No. That letter doesn't say anything about a location here in Cahors. I have no clue." She slumped into a chair, followed by Selim and Winry.

"So, what if there is no information?" Selim spoke up."It can't be a dead end can it?"

* * *

Winry walked the streets and leaned in to a wall. A sigh escaped her lips and she rubbed her arm. A gush of wind passed by, making her look at her right side. Her eyes enlarged like two dishes when she saw a man standing in front of her. The man put his left hand on his lips, shushing her for an instance before moving his arm behind her neck. To where her pressure point was.

"A-"But she couldn't finish. She had been knocked out.

* * *

"Let her go!" Edward barked at his men for capturing his weakness. His apprentice winced at his mentor's words and then glared at him.

"Weren't we ordered to capture her, master?" The young man asked Edward whose eyes became downcast.

"You have no reason to do so, Alphonse." He glared back at the boy.

"And what are you going to do, brother?" Edward said nothing at this comment.

"Don't bind her with chains. Let her inside my room."

* * *

Some men talking in the hall woke Winry up. She was in a murky room with no candles. The door opened and shut instantaneously. "Who is there?" She figure approached her in the dimness of the room. He mounted the bed, his legs on either side of her waist, and his arms next to her head. "You're…" She mumbled.

"Don't say my name." The figure –a man, she thought- whispered. The man kissed her cheek, and caressed her hand, making her shiver.

"Ed-"

"-Shhh!" He snapped. She nodded when he kissed her chaste on the lips making her heart beat run fast in her chest. She kissed back with equal emotion. "Don't muster a single word Highness." He ordered, "They are watching." She clutched his hand for a second and then released his hand. "We're enemies…" She nodded once more, "…yet we harbor feelings for each other. Isn't that right princess?" He asked huskily near her ear, making her nod yes. "When the time comes, we'll have to fight each other. You'll be the death of us." He told her, gripping her hand and planting a kiss on her mouth.

"I'll be the death of us…You'll be the death of us…" She mumbled in between kisses. _'His kisses are sweet, like I imagined.'_ She thought, _'Selim and Kain… I knew they were hiding something. He is a rebel…just like my mother.'_

_

* * *

_

_"Then I defy you, stars!"_  
- William Shakespeare, _Romeo and Juliet_, 5.1

After persuading Alphonse to not tell anyone, Edward had been able to leave Winry in the tavern once more before anyone noticed something weird was going on. Edward had kissed her one more time and left her again this time leaving her without breath.

He walked down the hall to find Bradley there once more. This time he was talking with Alphonse and his subordinates. Edward rested his hand on Bradley's shoulder, making him turn to face him. "Bradley," his name rolled off his tongue in a dangerous tone, "leave, right this instant."

"You cannot defy me you trash!" He defied.

Edward glared at his commander or 'higher rank' rebel, "Tsk." He moved his head to the side in a non-caring manner, "Even if you can give me orders you can't be yelling at my subordinates. I'll kill her, don't worry." He lied.

"I hope… Four weeks. In four weeks you'll go to Germany. If you don't have her I'll catch her myself." With that, he stormed off, leaving all the men in the hall.

"Brother. Was it right to take her back?" Alphonse questioned his older brother who sighed and rustled his hair.

"I'm not sure myself to be honest." He told him and started walking away, "We have to talk, _about that._" He whispered next to Alphonse before leaving.

* * *

Alphonse knocked on the door of his brother's room. The cacophony of his room made him irritated to death. He knocked and knocked and knocked. "Brother, open up!" He growled at the door. The door opened and Edward welcomed him to sit down on the floor. "So, you wanted to talk correct?"

"You know. About the King. What was it that he was doing that is so important to capture _and_ kill her?" He walked in front of Alphonse and sat down crossed-legged. "Not just only that." Alphonse raised his head. "I heard her mother was a rebel. When the King found out he ordered to kill her. Can you believe it? Such lies in that family. Wouldn't be surprised if Winry had a lie up her sleeve as well." Alphonse nodded in accord.

"Me neither, brother." They sat in silence for a while, thinking what to talk about until Alphonse conceived a though, "Where did you… get this information?"

"Some men in a nearby tub. What else do you think the Queen had done?" He leaned forward, "What about the King?"

"Brother, I can't answer that. I don't have a reply…" Not yet, he thought. Arthur sighed, throwing himself back to lean into the bed. Alphonse got up with his hand on his knee for support, and walked to the door to leave. His brother assembled words that stopped him in his tracks: _'I'm marrying her.'_

* * *

Two weeks. Two weeks have passed since they kissed. Two weeks since he decided to marry her. Two weeks in their first _'real' _relationship. Two weeks…until hell.

Edward knocked on Winry's window and she opened them letting him enter the tavern. She kissed her while they were both inside. Their third kiss was better than the last two. He looked at her eyes and thought what to say. She blushed and looked down at her leather boots. "Edward…"She mumbled, "Don't look at me like that…" He rested his head on the crook of her neck kissing it lightly. She sighed in content.

They wished to stay like this forever. Even if it was a fairytale. He had done nasty deeds for Bradley these past weeks. Even if he had a lie to keep from her, he wanted to stay like that, inhaling her sweet odor of roses. Though they were enemies they wanted to stay in this never ending hug, dream, or kiss. They wanted to…

"Winry…" He whispered after what felt hours of standing, "Marry…me…" She nodded and looked up with a questioning look, "What is it?"

She gave him a grin, "So fast Edward?" He blushed, and gave her a kiss on the forehead, "Well, I can't say no to my Knight in Shining Armor, can I?" He nodded, "When?"

"Tonight love." He told her in a melancholic tone. She hugged him tightly, seeing as his voice sounded… wrong. "I'm fine, do not worry." He let her go and walked to the window and reached out to her, "Coming?" She sauntered and grasped his hand. He jumped out to the balcony and was about to pick her up when the door creaked, showing Seim in the doorway.

"Highness, Edward…" He mumbled under his breath.

"Selim." Edward responded in a reminiscing voice.

"Selim." Winry smiled, "Defy the stars with me and Edward… Be our best man." Selim's eyes widened, and then he smiled and walked to them, promising that he'll keep this secret.

_

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**That was part I! wow... fifteen pages. Never thought I could write so much for a chapter. Sooooo. Winry and Edward are getting married. A bit cliche if you ask me, and a bit Romeo and Juliet but... I have to put it. **

**I feel ashamed. I haven't uploaded anything for my other story! T-T **

**Anyways, please review & rate for next part!**


	2. Her Rabbit Hole

**A/N: Holy Mother Of Baby Jesus Christ! I've never written so many paragraphas in my lifeee...! So, out of topic for a moment... My brother, my dearest most wonderfull brother told me the meaning of my username. I'm sooo sooo sorry people from the jewish religion! I never ment to! I didn't even know what it ment until my brother came along and told me. Thank you Pin! Gosh... I have jewish friends and I love them and I love jewish people. Growing up to be so succesful in life. Compared to me that is. Cause I'm so lazy sometimes... So in conlusion, my username is an utter mistake! Please forgive my brain... I better learn something before I write it! **

**So.. paragraphs.. It's almost the same length as the other one. Doesn't have a lot of diologue so yeah. Uhm, it centers around Winry's mother and I believe it's in third person... So yeah.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist. If I did, Hiromu Arakawa would make more FMA...**

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* * *

__Side Story_

_Part II_

_Her Rabbit Hole._

Her back hurt. Her back always hurt when she was sitting down for a long time. Her lounges ached, making it hard to breath. It is the air, she told herself, its thick…very humid. The room was murky; no light came in. This made it hard to see. She looked at her hands and laughed. How could she see her state of being? She moved her wrists and she felt them tied to each other. Then, at a snail's pace, she moved her body to reach her feet. She winced once she moved her back away from the wall. When her tied hands reached her ankles, she felt more ropes. Soon, she realized that the man she saw earlier had tricked her.

She had been an "orphan" – that is what she had told herself since she could remember – since a small age. Her parents had been assassinated when young; leaving her with an aunt that didn't want her. In the end, she found herself alone, robbing bread, and apples. She thought it futile to continue leaving like that, so she walked. She walked until her feet bled. But when she saw that man… and those eyes… she fell into a trance. He had told her that he was going to give her shelter, food, water… Anything she wanted. Yet, he binds her with ropes and kept her locked inside that room that she grieved in. She always forgets when she falls asleep, when fairy tales of happy endings consume her. And when she wakes up, she remembers that she's in that room. _Alone_.

She had only seen that man two days since she's been tied up in the cell. Each time he sees him she swears that she can see the man's grieving of something. Or maybe it's the loathing of someone? But in the end, when the man gives her food, she spats at it, because she knows he's doing this for a reason. She doesn't eat, and when she does, she eats the bread with insects that start to consume her food. She cries and yells; making her throat sore for weeks. Somewhere, she knows that she's seen the man's eyes more than twice; that she's been here for months. Sometimes, a voice inside her train of thoughts teases her, telling her to talk with the man, to give her more food. She ignores it of course. This is because she knows that she'll wake up one day from this nightmare of a cell and find the man that killed her family.

And one day. One grateful day, the man came inside, and left the door open. She closed her eyes, blinking a few times. When she opened them, the man had his hand on her chin. In reflect, she moved her face to the side, making him clutch her chin harder. She let out a groan of pain and looked at the man. They locked eyes, and she saw it. A fire of passion; coming from his grief. She furrowed her brows and spit at him. He laughed in a mischievous way and pulled her up to her feet. Leaning his face forward, he whispered five words into her ear, "Become one of the rebels…"

She swore that she could feel her breath hitch when she heard the man mumble those words. The man pulled her out of her cell, shoving her into the wall, making her fall to her knees. She looked at her left side and saw a boy of the age of fifteen; smirking at her. She worked her way up from the floor, knees trembling. While standing, she leaned her cheek into the wall and rubbed it gently, gradually replacing it with her forehead. She parted her lips and let a shout out of her mouth. She yelled until her throat lost its sound. Coughs came out instead of a scream and the boy grabbed her by the waist, dangerously low. He then proceeded to move his hand up to her arm pulled the girl away from the wall. When their eyes met, she felt the same grief of the man in his eyes as well.

The girl walked slowly, vigilantly, and eyed the pair. The boy eyed her several times and gave her a smirk, making her snort back at him. The man hit the boy grabbing her, making her fall on the floor. She didn't make any effort on getting up. She didn't want to move. Didn't want to go. Now she thought of her cell as a living heaven compared to being with these men. She robbed her nose against the ground and sobbed quietly. She muttered words that threatened to spill. The boy kicked her and she gasped for air. The man pulled her by the hair and whispered venomously, "Stop hesitating."

She nodded weakly and stood up once more. They continued walking in silence until they reached a door. The man opened it and the girl saw a room filled with drinking men who stopped laughing and looked at her. Her knees felt week and she fell once more. She wasn't used to walking after so many months of sitting. The man cleared his throat and started speaking. She ignored it completely until the men whistled and clapped and hollered in agreement. She eyed the boy who sat down on a chair and grabbed a beer, drinking it quickly. She was grabbed by the arms and shoved into a chair. A man in-between his forties and fifties gave her a beer. The man had short hair, and wore a beard. His clothes were stained with something that she believed was blood. The man offered the beer again, "Are you gonna drink that missy? Or can I…?" She nodded 'no' and pushed it away from her. The man smiled, "Thanks!" He grabbed the handle of the wooden cup and drank the beer.

She eyed the room. There were beer bottles everywhere. Men were singing and dancing as a band played a country tune. Men were drunk and talking nonsense. She sighed, and closed her eyes to fall asleep. Someone touched her shoulder and her eyes sprang open. Glancing to the right, she saw the boy with a grin plastered on his façade. He offered her a cup and she sniffed it. Once she knew it was water she drank it. "You were _that _thirsty, huh?" The boy said. She nodded in consent. He smiled, making her blush all of a sudden. "The guy is crazy…" He noticed her dumbfounded look and laughed. She knew he was drunk by the way he acted. "Him." He pointed at the man with the eyes full of grief. "He's… well… you could say he's my father. That is, if you consider him related to me." He scratched his head playfully, "I'm Bradley. You are?" He stretched his hand out to her. She shook it lightly. "Ah, I see you ran out of voice. Don't worry, when you can speak, tell me, yeah?" She nodded, and gave him a genuine smile.

Bradley got up after that and walked out, leaving the girl in the chair. She closed her eyes once more ad opened them quickly, not wanting to fall asleep. She did that again and again and again. She was scared that if she let sleep consume her that she would return to being in a cell. In a dark room, _alone_, and her feet and hands tied with ropes. Ergo, she shoved it off and stayed awake until she felt her eyelids heavy and she couldn't any more. Resting her head on her arms that were laid beneath her on the table, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Her dreams were always the same nightmare of that day. It was longest that she walked. She could still remember it. She had been sleeping underneath a bridge eating the leftover of rodents that she saw. It disgusted her to do so but if not, she would've died, either in hunger or, maybe, she thought, poisoned by one of those leftovers. The girl hadn't been in a situation like this since the first time she ran away from her aunt's house but she had to hide because the pedestrians in the nearby town were searching for her because they thought she was some sort of witch. She had read scrolls about witches in the other side of the Atlantic, America; one of the colonized countries of Great Britain. She read and read and kept on reading and then she finally snapped and understood that witches don't exist and it was only a myth. Only humans make that so.

The girl had left the underneath of the pebble stone made bridge and started to walk, because she knew it would be better to die walking than to die because of famish. She walked from the town in France named Nimes, located in the south, to the north of the country. She had heard of the capital, Paris. She decided to go there, try to work or rob bread and apples and drink from fountains. She walked miles and miles until her feet started bleeding but when she saw the man and his troops her dream became blurry and she couldn't understand what they were speaking about. But it was logical; she had fainted because of the loss of water and nutrients in her system.

Though she knows that happened and that it is in the past and that she learned that things in the past can't _possibly occur_, she is still afraid to go back to her other life; living in the streets and robbing. She can't go back. Because that night she had realized that the place they have her in is heaven and not hell. Because she is certain that if she wakes she'll be most probably in her cell and _not_ in the streets, the voice that teases her day and night whispers harmonic word into her ear, _"We can't go back to that hell whole! Not again!"_

So the girl listens, and when she wakes up in the morning light she finds herself in her cell. This time there is no ropes to bind her. The teasing voice continues on and on –_and on! _The girl knows that tonight, or in a month she _will _become a rebel because the teasing voice continues and she knows that by becoming a rebel she'll be free to find the man that murdered her family. Her life. So she listens, and it's the same, because she knows that she'll soon wake up from her nightmare, and get out of the hell whole.

And then, when it is night time again, the man comes to visit, and she can see the grief struck face and eyes. The man takes her out of her cell takes her to the room from the other night. This time, the men aren't drinking. The girl thinks that she is being welcomed by the soon to be partners of hers. The man starts speaking, this time though, she listens carefully and the teasing voice of hers tells her to smile but she keeps a straight face and listens carefully because the girl, along with her teasing voice, know that it is about her. Dedicated to her. Because she just became a rebel. By the end, the girl smiles once more, for the second time in a year.

The girl takes a glance at the room for the boy she met yesterday and when she catches a glimpse of him she blushes deeply because Bradley sounds like a nice person to her. She thinks that maybe she's making a fool of herself for blushing but she knows that maybe they'll become friends and even more. Then she shrugs it off and walks towards him, with no hope in her heart of course. She was correct with her premonition. Bradley ignores her and smirks, leaving her alone to drink beer. Last night though, she knew he was drunk, so she was prepared if she even tried to reach out to him. Then, the teasing voice continues, because they lost a friend and someone who might become more than a friend. Later that night the voice whispers more caring words, _"Boys are jerks. Ergo, don't bother to look at him, understood?"_

The girl listens as always and she falls asleep but this time she's not in her rabbit whole screaming to get out of there because of a fox trying to eat her. This time, she's in a room, with a bed. But, deep inside her train of thoughts, she misses something about her rabbit whole and she thinks that maybe she became _attracted to it maybe? _In conclusion, the girl falls asleep for the first time in years in a bed, and not in the cold floor. She sighs in content to the softness beneath her and smiles as she fall asleep because now she understands that she won't be going back to that hell whole her teasing voice calls the streets and that rabbit whole. This time, she doesn't sleep with the same never ending nightmare. This time she dreams of fairy tales and happy endings. But as the night drags on her happy dreams becomes into another never ending dream. Not of her walking, of her family being murdered.

When she wakes up again in the morning she tells herself that she wants to learn fast and kill whoever killed her family, even though the rebels are supposed to overthrow the government in time. Even though she has that one nightmare left, she feels happy of not being tied with ropes in the rabbit whole and her fondness to that room disappears slowly as the weeks drag on.

Finally, when she has her voice back, she enters the room at night and finds Bradley drinking beer. When he sees her, he waves for to go there, and she saunters there automatically, with no control of her body. He says hi and she whispers it back in a hush tone and when he asks what her name is she responds, " Sara…" Then again, she smiles as he talks to her, but when she goes back to sleep, she feels numbness and chest pain, and she cries that night in that lonely room because tomorrow Bradley won't remember a thing.

Weeks pass, then months, and years. The girl keeps talking with Bradley when he gets intoxicated but her teasing voice tells her to don't talk with him. But this time, she ignores that teasing voice and locks it up in her mind, deep inside her thoughts. And one night when she goes to the room, Bradley asks her to go outside with him and she smiles and walks with him. When they are outside the boy leans in and plants a kiss on her lips and she doesn't do anything. And her eyes stay open. And her heart beat stops for a moment and continues once he moves away.

Then, after the kiss, he smirks one last time and leaves her be, entering the room. Sara falls to the ground in a shaky behavior and moves her index finger to her lips. Finally, after a year without her teasing voice, she opens the rabbit hole one final time and lets the voice come out _her _cell. In the night though, she goes back to her rabbit hole and sleeps in the bed because the boy she likes kissed her and she knows they are playing with her.

One time though, the man with the bloody eyes summons her at the age of nineteen. She accepts and walks down the halls to the man's room. When she enters she sees Bradley at the right side of the man and she catches her breath. "I need you girl…" The man cleared his voice, "…I need you to enter the castle and infiltrate it. To marry the prince."

Time stops when she hears that because she doesn't want to kill someone who hasn't harmed her in any way. She mumbles a protest but the teasing voice grounds her, _"You idiot! What other woman do they have?" _She nods in agreement and bows respectively. That night, she returns to her room and at midnight, while sleeping, she goes back to her rabbit hole to spend the night in her first room. When Sara wakes up, Bradley is looking at her from the distance and walks out. So she follows him out in the hall and ends up going outside for the first time in six years.

She breaths in the chilly air and smiles blissfully. Her eyes sparkle with a distant feeling of joy and hope, something she only felt back home. Bradley grabs her by the arm and mounts her on the horse in front of him. She leans her back near his chest, and he returns the 'gesture' in a different matter. He leans away from her. She sighs and closes her eyes to fall asleep.

She listens to her surroundings. Sara had learned to listen to everything in the past years. Now, she sleeps, paying attention to her surroundings, and this gives her a feeling of being safe. She hears the crickets, the horse's shoe, the rustling of leaves and his breath. His breath is what keeps her there. His breath is what lets her sleep merrily, in content, in a peaceful manner. And she loves it, because Bradley is going to be her guardian and that he's going to live under the same roof as her. So now, she sleeps with a smile on her face.

When they reach the castle she is awoken by a young boy around his twenties offering his hand to her and she accepts it with no hesitation. In the meanwhile, Bradley looks at the boy kissing Sara's hand and his eyes sparkle with hatred and grief after so many years. When she goes to the room the King gave her, Bradley stops her and pushes her to the wall, making her screech. But that was muffled by him, with his parted lips on hers. When he moves away she stands there and smiles at him. Bradley then plants another kiss on her face.

That night, she sleeps with such a grace, with such happiness, that she heard no teasing voice bothering her; no nightmares haunting her. That night, she dreams of Bradley, and the future, and how her life married to the prince will be, and she thinks deep inside of how her daughter will look like. Nearing dawn, she awakes with sweat over her body. She sat there the rest of the night and felt a sweat drop run through her cheek, to her chin and fall down to the navel. Sara comes back to reality and cries again because she had a nightmare and not a happy dream.

In the morning, at the dining hall, she encounters the young prince once more and greets him with a bow. He smiles at her and she reciprocates it with another smile. The young prince pushes a chair for her to sit down. She grabs the dress from the back, a dress a maid had given her that morning, and sits down. She takes a glance at the room slowly, taking in the image, and she sees Bradley next to the King, talking to him about the government. The King laughs several times and she could see the prince in an uncomfortable way; his expression could tell it all. How could she hurt the prince by killing his father? She felt a stab in her chest, and felt like having a mental breakdown, but she kept on eating silently, listening at the fake stories Bradley told the King.

After eating breakfast, Bradley and her part ways and she goes with the prince to take a stroll and mount horses. She enjoys herself by getting to know the prince and the King's plans. And in a month, they go visit the man and he stares at her with grieving eyes and she in return speaks about what she learns. The process repeats itself for two years and the prince, along with his father, don't suspect anything. One day, she wakes up, and Urey, the prince, gives her a ring and she accepts it and her teasing voice calls out to her, _"Why would you accept if you love Bradley?"_ Sara smiles and hugs him dearly.

And it continues, and they get married and she is to bear a child for the throne. And when she goes meet the man, five months pregnant, she hears his conversation with Bradley, "Father… Should we tell her that the…King…" But she passed out after hearing those words. When Bradley and the man look outside, they found her unconscious outside, with fever.

Bradley returns her to the castle, to her husband, and lays her down next to him. A week later, Sara wakes up to find her husband sleeping peacefully next to her and smiles. She understood that she had fallen in love with prince and not Bradley. But now, she knows who actually did that to her family. And she swears on her life that she'll kill him with her own hands. Even if Bradley is against it as well as she is. She shrugs that thought off and pats her future child. Urey wakes up and stares at his wife lovingly, planting a kiss on her grown stomach. She smiles brightly and grabs his hand to look out of the room to find Bradley outside sleeping in a chair. And then again, the teasing voice continues to annoy her, and all of a sudden, she misses her rabbit hole.

Sara, seven months pregnant, became accustomed to the castle. At midnight, each night, she wakes up, grasping her stomach, and walks out of the room she sleeps in. When she walks out she sees her husband sleeping peacefully and she feels complete for once in her puny life. But once she reaches outside to the hall, she finds Bradley. _Her Bradley_. Then, the happiness disappears and she clutches the candle in her right hand – it's always in her right hand – to the point that it can break. After she encounters the two men that love her dearly, she begins to walk and walk nonstop and her _teasing voice _bothers her nonstop and brags about how lucky they are. Sara ignores it like always and reminisces about the day she walked until her feet bled; she shudders every forsaken time. And she loathes it dearly; she loathes it as much as she loves her child.

She continues walking and when she approaches the King's quarters, she peeks in to see her '_father' _asleep in his bed, sick. She goes in vigilantly, not wanting to wake the old man. When she finds herself near his bed stand, she lays her candle, and grabs a cloth damped in water and sets it upon his warm forehead. She then proceeds to clutch her stomach and walks out. She walks again and stands in front of Bradley, planting a kiss on his forehead and finally, plants a kiss on her husband's lips amiably. In conclusion, she falls asleep and dreams of fairytales who alter into nightmares, awakening her at dawn.

Then, at eight months pregnant, they were thinking of names, if it were boy, they would name him Luc, while if it were girl, it would be called Winry. She loved to spend those moments with her husband, because she didn't feel out of place for once. She just felt…right. She felt alive and not dead. And when she thought of her child, she smiled. She even locked her teasing voce away when she thought of her child and nothing else. But she was scared that her child would figure out the horrible lies of her father, lies the King has told him about their government. But she knew the child would never find out. _"Ergo, we should tell our husband to keep his mouth shut!" _Her teasing voice would suggest, but she knew that Urey wouldn't do that as long as she was there with him to guide him in his foreign affairs _and _with their children.

When her thoughts wondered off to think of Bradley, she was scared. _"What if he kills my husband? My child? The King maybe?" _But she knew him. She knew he would never do that, especially the King. And if her daughter or son would be stuck in such a situation and she was not there then…She thought of telling her husband to give their children their own guardians. Their own guardian that would protect them no matter what and she prayed that her one wish. _Her one wish _came true. She asked Him to grant her first and final wish. At least one time.

One week before her labor she feared ever getting into this mess. Ever meeting Bradley and that man. Ever agreeing to take the mission. Ever coming to this castle and meeting Urey. Ever falling in love and to adore the man she wants to kill. Ever… being born into so such a short and tragic life. And when she closes her eyes in the bed to give birth to another life, a life she's been with for nine months, she smiles and thinks, _"I really _**do **_miss my…rabbit hole, don't I?"_

When Sara awoke the next day, she found her child sleeping next to her. She smiled, her eyes sparkling and sighed deeply. When she looked to her left she got a glimpse of her husband and Bradley, both sleeping in chairs. Her smile faded, and instead she pated her child and smiled once more, ignoring ever seeing Bradley and her husband ever so close to each other before. _"Luc… I wish it were girl but… I already fell in love with this child…" _The baby started to stir uncontrollably and wined; loudly. Bradley and Urey woke up not soon after to find Sara patting the child with her hand. Bradley was surprised to see her smiling with her eyes closed, crying. She sang her child a lullaby she had learned from one of the maids. "Luc… My precious child…" Sara whispered into the small ear. Urey walked over to her wife and hugged her and their child, planting a kiss on his wife's lips. He whispered a 'love you' quietly. Bradley walked away, leaving the couple alone in their quarters.

A year had passed and Sara found herself to be more attached to her child. Her one and only, _Luc_. It felt as if his fat cheeks, his messy grin and baby hair, his moans when he ate, and all other adjective to describe him captured her heart. The mere feeling of holding him made Sara forget about Bradley and her husband. It was only them two. No one else. Every time she saw her baby she just had to grab him and pat him dearly to her side. But she had been feeling strange lately. As if someone was watching. Someone apart from Bradley. It scared her to think that someone might want to hurt her child. Sara knew that Bradley wouldn't dare to lay a finger on his hair as long as she was around. But she still had a feeling that the man he calls 'Father' might want to kill her child or make him part of his group. Even if she's one herself, she didn't want to become part of that again. But she still had to kill _him_; _for everything he has done! _

She loves him dearly and she needs to hurt him. No. she _can't _hurt him. He is the king after all. Even if her teasing voice begs to differ; she just can't bring herself to kill him. It's too much for her to bear. And if her husband finds out and if Bradley kills him because 'Father' is irritated with waiting. And if…and if her child grows up to kill his own Father? She can't let that happen, but she has to, she needs to. She has to… Therefore, Sara begged God to help her, to grant her another wish. Every night, after she started thinking like that, her teasing voice bothered her with that, telling her that she was a coward, _"That _**man **_killed them! Every single one… And you couldn't do anything. Don't you want to do something? Or, is it that you want to go back to that forsaken hell hole again?" _Sara knew the answer to that: No. She isn't a coward and she tells herself that, it is her fault they all died.

And when two years passed she had to go back to the man. To those grief stricken eyes. Those bloody red eyes. And she hates it because she has to kill her father in law. She hates it with so much passion because she's pregnant again and she wants her other child to grow up and have moments with her grandparent. To have _bonding _moments with him. But when Sara found herself in front of the man, she forgets everything she thought about. She forgot about defying the man and walking away. But after she heard the man say that _Bradley _will _kill her child_, she felt her blood run cold everywhere, and she loathed it.

Sara procrastinated after her talk with the man. She waited until her second child was born and she was grateful with God for giving her such a marvelous gift. She had the chance to carry, pet, and give food to her baby girl, Winry. And she fell in love with her as well. She thought that maybe she had her genes. Maybe she looked like her mother or aunt or a sister she never met. But she knew Winry was beautiful and happier than Luc. That didn't mean that Luc wasn't happy because she gave both children equal attention. But for Winry it was… a more intense bond. She thought it was the fact that Winry is her only girl but she also didn't want to exclude Luc out of the picture. But she had to keep Winry a secret from Bradley. So she had her in secret and she couldn't explain it to Urey but she asked him to send Bradley away for that one year.

When Sara was twenty-six years old she had found a letter addressed to her and she knew it was the man when she read it and she also understood that they had taken her child. _Her Luc_. Her first born; and she couldn't bring him back. The only thing she could actually do was cry and weep over him because she wasn't going to see her child. Not as long as she was alive. The one thing she _could_ do was demand for Bradley to give her child back to her. But he never did respond, he only smirked and kissed her cheek. Over and over and over – _and over!_

Sara woke up in a start and looked around her room one night. She had gotten up and went out the room, awakening her husband. She walked and in the process she held hold to a knife. Soon, when Sara found herself near the King's quarters, she saw Bradley next to the door, awaiting her entry. He stood towards her way and smirked mischievously, giving her goose bumps. "If I were to do this…will you give me my child back?" She whispered dangerously low. She wanted to kill the King since she found out, but not like this. Bradley shook his head though and he broke her heart because she knew he was going to stop her; it was an obvious premonition.

When she entered the room and looked at the man sleeping, it shattered her heart. And she couldn't breathe well, _"It's the air, it is thick…" _She breathed and closed her eyes, _"Very humid… just like that time back at the cell…"_ She clutched her knife and walked closer and closer. But when she leaned her face over her father's face she let one teardrop fall in more than seven years. "I can't!" She burst out, letting her knife fall with a clank on the floor. Bradley never intended on stopping her in the beginning, but he did grab the knife on the floor; and in a brief second, stabbed it on the bed, making her gasp. But it wasn't the best choice because Urey was behind the door the whole time.

The next morning, all hell broke out. Urey pushed her wife into a wall, making her gasp at the sudden action. He insisted for her to tell the truth. To tell him what happened last night. But when she was going to confess, a maid interrupted them. Urey, after hearing the maid, stood there dumbfounded; speechless. Sara felt as he looked. Her heart ached and her teasing voice accused Bradley for killing the king. _But how? How is he dead?_ Sara followed her husband to the King's room and the view in front of her made her stomach hurl. Urey sauntered towards the deceased body and clutched the cold hand in his whispering forgiveness and cursing under his breath. Sara couldn't describe her emotions. Anger and happiness flood into her eyes. And she cried. She couldn't stop and she knew it was wrong to cry when she began laughing in a low voice. So low only her teasing voice could hear.

Bradley soon walked in and Sara glared at him. Bradley stood in the door and Urey snarled and clutched his father's hand once more before standing to turn to look at him. Bradley approached Sara and she couldn't keep her emotions locked up into a bottle filled with taunting memories, "How could you? Bradley!" She barked at the man in front of her, making him wince at the tone. She has acted so sweet all these years. She has only whispered and kept quiet. But one day, the rabbit will come out of her hole and attack the fox that beleaguers her every day; taunting her every night; _threatening her. _She had slapped him, her first act of rebellion. Aside of last night, that is. "You…" Her index finger rose by itself and she pointed at the man she hated right now, "You low life! You told me you cared…You told me that you weren't going to…Why?"

Bradley did not respond, he never responds. He always kept his thoughts to himself, never, ever has he opened his own imaginary 'bottle'. Never. And he adored it that way. A simple life. Not having to tell the people around him the truth. He could lie until someone dared to assail him verbally. And Sara did just that. He chuckled and laughed like a madman. And he couldn't stop because he felt pleasure with it. Something he hasn't felt in _ages_. "Now, your highness…" He bowed respectfully. He was teasing her and she understood that all too well. "…you supposed I killed that old man? Well, I am not a madman for killing him because I never laid a single finger on his puny hair!" He told truthfully.

"You bastard!" Urey exploded. Sara gaped at him for she never saw her husband cursing all of a sudden. "You and… you…" Sara's eyes became downcast. She knew that if she looked into a mirror right now her eyes would be empty and dark; not the bright crystal blue color her eyes are. No, something else, blackness, that is what she would look like; emptiness, like a shell of a turtle, with no soul in her. Nothing. "How dare you! Sara… All these years…" She nodded and wiped away her tears. Looking up, she bit her lip forcefully and she bled. She tasted the metallic substance of her blood and nodded again. "You shall be hanged, understood?" Sara nodded and bowed respectfully; soon after that, Urey vanished.

"Yes… my beloved husband."

But the hanging never came for Bradley because he had fled a week before, making Urey infuriated. Sara, in the other hand, became ill and Urey didn't want to lay a finger on her because every night, before he went to sleep he could hear her whispering '_I love you_'. And it broke his heart deeply. A week after the hanging was supposed to happen, Sara begged for Urey to bring her her daughter. So she could talk to her in her deathbed. And when she looked into those big blue eyes of her daughter she knew why she came to this world; not to become a rebel or to get married. It was to give birth to _her_.

Winry's blond, short locks fell upon her mother's forehead. This made Sara sigh in happiness and sadness. Her teasing voice yelled, _"Let me out! Let me…! You're not dying, understood? Ergo, don't think of that…! Please…!" _Sara let her eye drop a tear and Winry kissed it away softly. With her right hand, Sara tucked Winry's blond lock behind her ear. She then proceeded to lean her forehead against hers. "I love you deeply… daughter." Winry's brow furrowed in confusion, making her mom laugh, "Silly girl…" She gave her daughter a genuine smile. It was filled with emotion if you compared it to two weeks ago. "Remember this: Don't let your father choose who you want to marry. It isn't as fun as it sounds like at first." Winry giggled in a merry tone making Sara's heart shatter. "Remember to never let anyone hinder… your path… Remember to wash your teeth and brush her hair, remember to…" Hand trembling, she reached out to her heart shaped lock, and yanked it from her neck, resting it onto her awaiting hand. "Take care of this for me…When you're ready, open it and you'll find me. I'll always be with you Winry…"

Winry didn't understand her mother's words but she had a determination to keep that lock away. And she never understood why her mother died with a smile on her face,

_Remember to never fall in the rabbit hole. Never, ever, ever…_

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**A/N: I have no coment...**

**P.S. I'm tired, It's Friday, and I have midterms next week...**

**P.P.S. I promise that when I find out how to change my username, I will!**

**R&R Please!**


	3. Selim and K's Story

**A/N: This is the smallest part I have ever written so far. Don't worry, next part will be long again. I think...**

**Disclaimer: i don't own FMA. If I did then Alphonse wouldn't had have to be an armor for, I don't know, around four years?**

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Part III

Selim and K's Story

"_The boy who cried wolf'"_

He never lies and when he does a smile plays across his face because he can't hold it in. The boy was never one to lie in front of adults, especially his mother. His mother, mother, mother… He loved her dearly and took care about her while his brother worked on experiments. The boy used to bother his older sibling because he knew it irritated him. And every time he did those shenanigans he laughed hysterically. It made him feel special and happy. It made him have fun for a bit. _Just a bit though. _Nothing more.

The boy's sibling, Kain, hated it. He hated how their mother was sick with small pox and that he couldn't do anything. He hated how his younger sibling bothered him and lied about things that shouldn't happen. _Couldn't happen_. He hated how he wasn't smart enough and how his brother laughed when he _knew _that their mother will die. How…he fell so useless; how he felt that it was a nightmare and that he couldn't help the woman that gave birth to him and his brother.

On the other hand, Selim knew that his mother was dying. He ignored it and put a fake façade on. He was always smiling and trying to make his brother laugh. He tried to lighten up the mood when he was in his brother laboratory. He was always there anyways. He was always swinging his legs back and forth as he sat on a stool. Selim bothered Kain because he didn't want to start a conversation with him because he feared that the talk might end up changing into the subject that bothered both of them: Their mother's sickness. Every time he thought about it, it made his stomach hurl in disgustingness.

Even when Selim was a teenager he continued lying about how his mother would cure herself up without them. To stand up and start walking again without feeling any sort of pain and then, finally, being able to hug both of them. Selim loved to think and say that. To know that there is hope for their mother even if Kain didn't show any feelings about the word:

_hope_ [hōp] (noun) - a feeling that something desirable is likely to happen.

Selim understood that his brother felt the pain in his chest, as if hit by a blade or bullet; a feeling that annoyed him as he slept. Selim knew that feeling because every night he would pray to some sort of God for their mother to get better, he would cry in the silence and murkiness of his room while his mother lied in her deathbed. It was a horrible feeling because he had to live with it while his brother ignored everything. It was horrible because he hit his head against the wall of his room to shake his thoughts away.

_Go away, please._ He used to tell himself as the years dragged on. Kain had started repeating that phrase once his mother fell ill. The first night without her mother hugging him, he had awoken - with a nightmare stuck in replay - at dawn. He had felt, for the first time, demons haunting him. He thought that his brother's mania of hitting his head against the wall of the room next to him was nothing compared to being haunted with demons. It felt terrible to not being able to sleep.

Selim, at the age of twelve, was kicked outside of the house for lying about something that hurt Kain. Selim insulted his brother as he stood outside of the tavern – their home in the second floor -, he punched his fists on the oak door but he knew it was ineffective. But, when Selim heard footsteps in a nearby ally and the shouting of a boy, he knew it was his lucky day. He had a premonition during his sleep.

"Your majesty!" Selim heard the voice of the boy near him. The boy that shouted stopped and fell on top of the so called "Majesty". Selim thought she was an attractive lady but he didn't like girls who where older than him. "Your majesty, your father told me not to let you get away without his permission." The girl laughed sweetly and pushed him off her attentively. "Your majesty, are you fine?" The boy asked once more.

The girl looked at Selim intently and grabbed his hand. She made him twirl around her and then stopped, "Laugh a bit. I don't want to see people of my "Future" kingdom sad." Selim chuckled after hearing the girl's tone of voice change into a deeper, manlier one. "Are you not going to tell me your name?" She questioned Selim. He opened his mouth and closed it shut. "My name is Winry and the silly one over there is Edward." The girl looked at him with wide eyes, awaiting an answer.

"My name," He bowed, "…your majesty, is Selim." He told her. Winry smiled and kissed his cheek whispering into his hear not to lie. The girl then proceeded to grab the boy's hand and ran back to where ever they came from. Selim stood there dumbfounded for a moment, "_How did she…?"_

At night, when he went inside the tavern, he saw people drinking and laughing. Amongst them, he caught a glimpse of his brother. He neared him and glared at him. Kain felt the eyes on him so he sighed and glared back. Selim blinked and looked away, quickly turning back to stare. "Brother, I lie for good intentions?" Kain nodded his head in disagreement. "I love her! And I don't want to let her go. I want to be with her for as long as I can. So please, speak and I promise I won't lie about anything for the rest of my days to come. For the nights that still wait." Kain gave him a smirk and hugged him tenderly.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you but, I don't like it when you interrupt me you know?" Selim found it uncomfortable hugging his brother but he didn't want to ruin this moment. "Just know to..."

_Never cry wolf if it's not there. No one will ever listen to you. Never._

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**A/N: R&R Pls!**


	4. Pray to the Future

**A/N: I wonder how long it has been since my last chapter... hmmm. Well, don't know. Our favorite priest makes his appearance in this chapter. As well as our favorite philosopher and army woman...?**

**Disclaimer: Me no own Full Metal Alchemist. Not now at least... Nor ever apparently... **

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_Part IV_

_Pray to the future_

The priest closed his bible and walked to the back room. His dark hair bestowed his face as he rummaged through the papers that lay on top of the desk. He grimaced at the smell of dead rat and closed the window. Turning, he grabbed a candle and kindled it, setting it on top of a stool on his desk. Sighing, he sat down in his chair, looking at the paper in hand. He smiled a warm smile and looked at today's date. He thought about the words scribbled in the letter. _E__-_

A knock in the large, wooden, marble incrusted door made the priest snap his head to gaze at the door of his office. He pushed the chair with a loud screeching noise and stood up, walking around the large tabled and exciting the office. He peered into the church hall and smiled inwardly waving at the group that made their way to the back room. He bowed once he had a glimpse of the girl in front of him. Her golden locks were tied in the back with a pin. Her blue eyes shinned in the darkness of the church while her dress became still as she stopped. "Your highness…" He acknowledged. She bowed and hugged the young priest, followed by her escort. "Arthur my man! It has been such a long time!" He greeted the young boy with an embrace filled with emotion.

"Hughes, how is your wife and daughter?" The young man inquired. The priest smiled and motioned them to enter his office. Hughes nodded his head gently as he sat down on the chair. "I believe you received the letter." Edward stated as he looked at the piece of paper upon the priest's hand. Her majesty looked at Edward in a questioning look and he grinned at her, making her turn to face her burgundy dress. "Have you had a chance to read it?"

"Yes, your words fancy me Edward to… actually accept your offer." The young boy, along with the girl sighed in relief. "Does the couple agree to share…"

"Yes…" Her majesty cut in.

"Winry… I know, but, with the situation and well, I'm not sure how to…" He massaged his temples and grabbed his glasses, resting it on top of the letter. He grabbed his glasses after a while of silence and grabbed a piece clothe from one of his drawers, cleaning the piece of glass. "If I were to…commence this…it would have to be today. After hours, of course, your majesty. Is that of your liking?" He questioned the girl in front of her, putting his glasses on. She tilted her head down and up again.

"Whenever you want…"

"I can't _marry_ you two… I'm not 'licensed' to do so." He told the young couple. "So, Alphonse, and this is?" He looked at the younger boy next to Alphonse who scratched his neck and told his name to the priest in front of him. "Hm, Selim. Interesting name your mother gave you. Must have come from somewhere, right?"

"Yeah, my mom… um, had a family member she loved dearly that carried my name."

"So, Edward," The boy raised his eyebrow in curiousness, "…would you mind seeing some portraits of my daughter?" A grin appeared from ear to ear on the priest's face. Edward and Winry followed suit as he walked out of the room to start on their ceremony.

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"_Here we are to bring…" _Selim and Alphonse heard the priest continue their ceremony. Alphonse and the younger boy sat crossed legged outside of the room in front of them. There was no sound, only the priest talking. Selim thought of churches, _"Places to see the dead and mourn them." _He told his brother one time he went to a church near their pub. Alphonse in the other hand thought it was a place for religious ways. To speak to God about the people around them, and how much they wanted them to get better. _"You went to talk about mom, didn't you?" _He asked his brother a month after their mother's death. They had their different thoughts but liked each other as friends.

Selim closed his eyes and opened them, looking at the statue of an angel glaring at him. He shivered, and opened his mouth, "These places scare me to death. Why would they make them with all these statues of… _dead people_?" Alphonse glared at the young boy in disbelief and sighed with frustration.

"Arc Angels, Mary the Virgin, Jesus Christ… Important roles in the formation of the Catholic Religion… or well, others as well that I don't know about. It says it in the Bible." Selim stared at him in a dumbfounded way and Alphonse chuckled at him. "I think it's to pray to them… It makes sense if you understand it. It's not my fault you don't read the Bible like most people do now a days." They kept quiet after that and burst out in a cheerful laugh. "I'm sorry… I had to say that…" He told him, not knowing why they began laughing.

Selim sighed and stretched his legs, closing his eyes. Alphonse did the same, sighing and stretching his legs in the marble floor. "Notre dame? Why would they come all the way to Paris?" Selim told Alphonse who shrugged and stayed silent, listening as the boy talked. "You know… My mother is ill. Well, has been ill for a long time now. She had small pox and now she just…" His breath hitched and Alphonse opened his eyes to stare at him, "she just lies there.

"She hasn't talked or moved in _such _a long time. It hurts to see her suffer like that. Not being able to move… She can only eat…She's dying… and I tell my brother that we need to have _hope for the future_. We're both struggling with keeping her alive in her death bed. But it's so hard to find herbs for my brother to work on some kind of medication to save her life… Maybe… if I came to a church," He turned to look at Alphonse, tears spilling out of his eyeballs, "…do you think she'll get better? If I pray to God, will she not die? If I believe in mourning and talking about my mother's illness and how I want her to get better to the dead, will she start moving?"

"You have to believe first. Start with the Bible and then you can pray all you want to God."

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The couple walked out of the room and gazed at the two boys in front of them. Selim was resting his head on Alphonse's broad shoulder. The priest walked behind the couple and guided them to a room opposite from his office. Winry stopped abruptly as the two men in front of her continued walking. Edward turned to see the young princess, giving her a questioning look. She gave him a genuine smile and the young man nodded and continued walking along side the priest.

Winry walked to the boys that slept sitting on the cold floor. She knelt down, pushing her dress away. She stared at Selim's face for a while and smiled to herself. "_Crying again Selim? What have I told you? I don't want to see the people of my future kingdom sad. You must smile and think to the future…"_ Her highness smiled at the memory. The first time she ever entered the pub with Edward, she witnessed Selim crying hysterically as his brother stormed off to who knows where. She grimaced for an instant and then leaned in to plant a kiss on both boys' forehead.

She proceeded to stand up and sigh in relief. Her high heels echoed in the church's corridors as she found the room where Edward and she were to spend the night. She grasped the metal door knob and twisted it to the right until she heard a clanking noise. The door creaked open and she let a crack of light illuminate Edward's face; he was currently lying on the bed. She took of her shoes to walk barefoot and walked to the bed, sitting in the left corner, awakening Edward from his five-minute slumber. She smiled when she saw the outline of a smile on his façade. "The two boys…?" He yawned and flushed a deep red, pulling her closer to him.

"Hughes told me he was going to try to get them to his office. One can sleep on his desk," The princess gave a low giggle, "… and the other on the chair." He told her, pulling her into a chaste kiss. She grinned once they broke apart. "What's on your mind, my rose?" She tilted her head to the side and gave him a questioning look and a raised eyebrow. He chuckled. She mumbled something around the lines of, _"That's very cliché" _under her breath. "Only for you… I shall be cliché. I shall," He kept quiet, thinking what to say. "…recite _Romeo and Juliet _for you. Anything." He whispered into her ear, making her shudder at his cold breath.

She rested her elbow on his chest and her cheek on her hand. His hand moved to cup her face. She leaned into his hand and he, in response, tucked a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear. "You're beautiful…" She blushed, eyes like dishes, as she stared intently at him with lips parted slightly.

_"See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!_

_O that I were a glove upon that hand,_

_That I might touch that cheek!"_

.

_Very cliché for your own good Edward…_

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_._

_._

_"When light consumes us,_

_Please don't look back._

_When you do,_

_You'll be swallowed up by your own darkness._

_Please don't look back,_

_Edward."_

The outline of a person in a dark corridor. The in and out sound of intakes of breaths. The footsteps. The movement. The knock on the door.

The person opened it gently and it creaked too loud for his liking. The person groaned and stepped in, walking to the bed in the small room. Gently, the shadow pushed the shoulder of the young woman. Her eyes fluttered open, and soon she found herself getting up from the bed. The handsome boy sleeping awoke from a nightmare to find the woman next to her with a worried face, staring at his friend. His eyes opened and closed, adjusting to the dim light. _Your majesty, we have a problem… What should we do? Edward? Wake up already! For God's sake!_

"Edward!" The young boy screamed next to his ear, snapping him into reality. His head was spinning. As fast as lightning, he grasped his head in his hands and he looked at the young boy with dark, aqua eyes. "Please," He clutched the young girl's hand, making her walk outside with him. "…we must go outside! It's Alphonse!" At this, the young rebel snapped his eyes away from the boy and onto the slightly open door. He paced to the door, and opened it, peering into the corridor to see what was wrong. His left arm went behind him, stopping the young princess and boy. "Edward?" Selim questioned with his eyebrows pinned together.

Edward walked outside and onto the main entrance of Notre Dame. His eyes became downcast as he saw his brother on the steps of the church. Some men were fleeing to get away. Edward snarled at them and turned to look at his sibling. He snooped down and placed a hand on his shoulder, letting known of his presence. The young boy looked up at him and gave him a smile. "Those guys… They never stop following us do they? Father is a menace, even to his own subordinates." He shook his head slowly and laughed with his brother. "He's so old, I swear brother!" Edward chuckled at his idiocy and sat down on the step, patting the dirty blond hair on his sibling's head.

"Yeah, I guess he is." He told truthfully.

"Ed?" Winry called out from the church. Edward stood up with his brother and nodded his head. "Hughes left a note. I wouldn't mind taking it to Kain. And you?" He nodded once more, walking up to her. "I must say, men these days enjoy leaving clues to other people..." She sighed in frustration as Edward raised an eyebrow. "Look..." She handed him the letter, and he eyed it briefly, to sigh in defeat.

"Damn him and his sneaky ways. I should learn better than to trust Hughes..." She cocked her head to the side and Selim mumbled a dumbfounded 'what'. "He's up to something again. It's my duty to figure it out."

"We're parting ways again aren't we?" Selim and Winry asked in unision. The two siblings nodded their heads. "There must be a train that shall take us to Cahors, right Selim?" She looked up at him, and he grinned at her. "What is it?"

"No, not Cahors this time." She raised an eyebrow and put her fists on her waist, glaring at him. "Sheska is taking care of our mother," He glared at the rebels; "...we have other things to do in Bordeaux."

She shrugged her shoulders and approached Edward, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. "Until we meet again."

"Until we meet again."

The two brothers watched as the young princess walked away with the young boy. Sighing, the siblings smirked at eachother, walking the opposite way to meet up with Bradley in Reims.

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"I don't get it!" She shrieked. Her exasperation was clearly visible. Selim smirked and snatched the letter from her hands. He looked at the drawn map below Kain's writings and she pinned her eyebrows together, resting her right arm on her left hand, lifting her chin up with her right hand. "Your brother will kill me with this…" She mumbled, and sighed, picking up the cup of water that stood on the table. She took a sip and gasped in the process when the train made her jump. "The last time we were on a train… It wasn't like this." She protested, flushing a deep red.

"Winry, you were sleeping the whole time," She glared at him; "…I'm stating the truth highness. Here, look at the map," He gave the letter back to her and with his index finger, traced a path through it. She looked at it and then mumbled an 'Oh'. "See, the sewers here… My brother suggests that rebels use them to get around. It intrigues me and it's an amazing way to move around without anyone noticing you. Imagine all the artillery they can move around…" She looked up at him and opened her mouth.

"I'm still surprised that Kain found out that the rebels are actually _thinking _to somehow attack the palace…" She sighed and massaged her temple with her left hand as she placed the cup down on the table. Selim nodded in agreement. "Why must we meet up with…What is his name again?"

"Roy Mustang, your highness. He is a magnificent philosopher and studies alchemy. My brother told me that he learned about alchemy from his wife's father, who apparently carved a formula on her daughter's back. Yes, her back and my brother told me that his deceased father-in-law was a brilliant, brilliant man. That formula…Not even the great Roy Mustang can decipher it."

"He sounds like an interesting person…" The young princess responded. She turned her head when Selim walked up from his seat in front of her. Winry looked to her right, to find a young girl around Selim's age walking and bumping into him. Selim gave his 'sorry' and the girl flushed in embarrassment. The princess smiled as Selim walked to their cabin and back, "She sounds like a nice person…" He gave her a questioning look. "She fancies you Selim." He blushed.

"She doesn't your highness…"

"I saw how her eyes sparkled when she laid eyes on you." She teased the young boy in front of him, who took out a vintage watch. "How much time?" She asked curiously.

"Sixteen hours left Winry. Do you want lunch?" She nodded and he walked to the bar and told one of the waiters to give him the list of foods they could give them.

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Sixteen long hours passed and the train came to a halt, awakening Winry and Selim from their dreams. When they walked out of the long, steam powered train, they saw the young girl from earlier. Her purple dress complemented her dark, brown orbs and chocolate locks that were tied with chinese pins. She tripped on her dress and her luggage fell. As she stooped to get it, she mumbled incoherent words under her breath, making Selim walk up to her and giving her a hand. "There… Do you mind if I help such a beautiful young lady?" Selim asked the young girl who blushed and covered her face with her white gloved hand. Winry quirked an eyebrow and bit her lip, grabbing Selim's arm in her's.

"She's a floozy…" She mumbled, walking away from a dumbfounded Selim helping the young girl. Winry stopped and looked back, "Well, are you coming? Kain must be waiting for us." She told him and kept walking, her luggage hitting her leg as she paced.

"I'm sorry. What's your name?" He asked the beautiful girl who played with a lock of dark brown hair.

"Mai," She smiled.

"It's a pleasure." He gave her his name and walked away, reaching up to Winry, who laughed as he told her sorry. "Winry…"

"You should have seen your face Selim!" She giggled as her right hand found his shoulder. "Sheska told me to take care of you, Selim." He flushed and snickered. "She loves you; of course she doesn't want anyone _flirting _with you."

"Well, no more talking highness, Kain is waiting, remember?"

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The duo met up with Kain not too far away from the train station. They shared their hugs and left to Roy Mustang's house to speak about the plan the young alchemist has in mind. As they approached the house, Kain pushed Winry into an ally, making her protest about his actions. Selim kept walking as if nothing happened while Kain blocked Winry from public's view. She stared to the pebble stone rode and watched as some men shoved Selim into the wall and ask him questions. Winry flinched when she heard Selim being hit with a musket. "Don't do anything reckless highness…" She stared up at Kain who smiled and walked out of the ally, punching one of the men in the face, making the other soldiers run away, leaving a bleeding Selim on the floor. Kain proceeded to grab his arm and pull him up, waving at Winry to come forward.

"Brother, their no ordinary soldiers." Kain lowered his gaze as Winry checked Selim's bleeding nose. Kain patted his shoulder and walked up to the small house."Sorry, that was reckless…" He grinned like a child joking around as Kain knocked on the wooden door in front of them.

Kain turned to his brother."You keep that up and I swear I think you'll have a bounty on your head as soon as possible." He retorted, knocking once more.

"Brother, I think we all have bounties on our heads. First, if they were to actually notice that the princess is with us," He turned to Winry, who had a cape on; "They'll think that we have her as a captive." Winry giggled under her breath as Selim continued his explanations. "…Honestly Kain, I don't think we could sink any lower than this." Kain chuckled and a young woman wearing an overall over her baby blue, with roses as a pattern, dress and her blonde, short locks that framed her peach like face opened the door. "Riza, it's a pleasure as always." Kain greeted the woman. Riza smiled and hugged the brothers.

"I've missed you two so much!" She let go of them and saw the Winry removing her black hood, revealing her face to Riza. The woman looked up at Kain and his sibling while quirking a blond eyebrow. "Care to explain? Why is her highness with you two?" Kain sighed along with Selim as they entered the small house, eyeing all the writings and glass containers on the table.

"I wrote you Riza, don't you remember?" Kain inquired.

"Uh…" Winry coughed, grabbing their attention, "Have I seen you before?" Riza smiled and gave the young girl a peck on the cheek.

"Yes, of course. Sit down, Roy must be coming soon." They sat down on the chairs that laid in the living room. A fire flickered in the small chimney and a grand piano stood in corner of the room. A window was open, making the floral curtain flap with the wind. "Winry, I…Me and your mother…" She looked down at her heels and thought of the correct words to tell the princess. "We were acquaintances, actually more than that… We were like sisters." Winry's face lit up with a smile.

"You knew my mother?" Riza only nodded at the young girl.

"Yes, and I don't regret ever meeting her. We were a dangerous duo back in our day…feared by every man that was friends with your father. Kain never spoke about us did he?" Ocean eyes glared daggers at the nervous Kain who only turned away from her gaze.

"I've been busy…with studies and experiments." Riza's eyes became downcast as she reminisced on the day both boys came by to their house to speak about their ill mother. The woman opened her mouth to be cut off mid way, "She's still sick…"

With that said, a man walked in, wearing a long brown coat, leather shoes and a suit beneath the coat. His dark hair fell on his pale face, covering part of his dark eyes. He was a tall man and Lily saw a glint of determination in his eyes. _Is this…? This must be Roy…Mustang? _Lily asked herself as the man smiled at Kain, giving him a hug and then proceeding to hug Selim. The man turned to Riza and kissed her forehead and then looked at the princess who flushed in embarrassment once she notice she was staring at him with curiosity written all over her face. "Forgive me sir…" She bowed respectively, "…I'm-"

"I know who you are." He cut in. "Your highness, I've heard from Kain that you were accompanying them… You don' need to bow. It's my pleasure." He bowed at her.

"It's just such an honor. I've heard so much from Selim that…"

"Yeah, he's a great person." Selim finished her sentence.

Roy took a seat next to his wife on the couch after he took off his coat. "So, you're here to talk about what I figured out, am I correct?" Kain nodded as he made himself comfortable in the seat. "As you know, the rebels are using some kind of sewer ways, correct? Then you must also know about the rebels attacking the castle..."

In the background Winry was whispering into Selim's ear, "Selim! You told me he was a philosopher and alchemist…" He hit his arm and he rubbed it lightly.

"Well… He is a brilliant man with connections. He's one of the men that help the –how to put it- the lead rebel. All the information he gains he sends it to this 'leader' right after he tells us and all the other people who are helping us with this plan on taking down the rebels."

"You mean-"

"Ahem, your highness." Roy interrupted her. She looked up at him with fear in her eyes. "Do you mind me if I explain or would you like me to let you continue your conversation?" She nodded her head as he spoke once more. "As you already know, your highness, we're planning on taking down the rebels." Her eyes grew wide.

_This means Ed would get hurt. But, if this so called leader of the rebels finds out that he's been sneaking out with me and the siblings? What if he gets killed by his own teammates because of me? Edward…what have we gotten in to? This is a mess! But, if the rumor is true that they are going to attack the castle then they must think I wasn't dead so… That would mean that Sir Roy has been telling the leader some white lies, right? Then the rebels must also think that I'm in the castle and not with the siblings. That _is_ an added bonus… _"So you are going to fight in the castle?" Roy nodded at her comment. "That's insane! Ludicrous! Blasphemy! That-"

"But it's an advantage to us, your majesty." He leaned forward. "It's our opportunity." Winry was gaping at the man, her gaze switching between Kain and the man in front of her. "Have you told her yet Kain?" Kain sighed. "I believe that is no. We're arranging meetings and I believe," He glared at Kain who again became nervous under his glare; "…you're going to Germany." Winry stood up with a gasp.

"What? Germany? Why? How…when did you arrange this? Kain? Answers, now!" She declared, grabbing Kain by the collar.

"I was going to tell you! We arranged this right after you and my so called brother disappeared." He looked at his brother who got up and began assailing him verbally.

"I sent you a letter!" He growled.

"You could've written it before you left!" Winry shook him roughly and Roy, along with his wife, gasped at her sudden action. "Highness, why are you acting like such a cannibal?" He questioned her. Winry let hold of him and sighed in desperation. "Selim, Winry, I thought that maybe a rebel had captured you or… worst case scenario…" He whispered the last part to himself.

"Germany… Out of all the places."

.

.

As if on cue, the man walked in to the room right after the men stopped talking. His eyes; the lust blood full eyes of the man made Arthur shake. His vintage watch clicked until the man pulled it out of his pocket and threw it on to the ground. It chattered, as well as the glint in his eyes. He pinned his eyebrows together and eyed the men in front of him. Edward sat next to his father and right next to Edward sat his younger sibling. In the shadows the man swore that he got a glimpse of something moving. Shrugging, the man took his seat on one of the couches. Father sighed in his bed and told Arthur to sit up and walk towards him, whispering some words into his ear.

"Of course…" Edward retorted, looking up at Bradley. They stared at each other until Ace broke eye contact by blinking twice. "Bradley…" He greeted coldly.

"Edward Elric. I heard you were with her majesty."

At this, Edward and Alphonse flinched. _How did he know? Were those men in Paris Bradley's and not Father's? But… It was Father's men; from his division. What's going on?_The only thing hearable in the room was their breathing. Their chest heaving up and down making their clothe rustle against other clothe. The silent coughs of Father and Ace's bloody red eyes that shouted death to anyone that saw them. That's all that was heard in the room.

"Surprised? I would guess by the look on your faces." Bradley broke the silence. Both Alphonse and Edward narrowed their eyes. "You really think my father can send those troops? He can't even walk! He's an old man. His quarters are now mine."

"I see…"Edward responded, while sitting down on the chair he was once sitting on. Edward crossed his legs and rested his hands on his thigh.

"You know… this cat and mouse game were playing with the princess is irritating me Ed. It makes me want to get her all by myself now. What do you think? Should I capture her and kill you or do you want to go to Germany with me?"

"You never told me why you wanted to go to Germany, Bradley."

"Really?" Bradley chuckled in a deep voice. "Ahh… the word is that she's meeting up with Honheim. Have you heard of him? Your own father?"

Edward snapped and grabbed him by the neck. "Don't you speak about my father in front of me!"

"Brother… Let it go." Alphonse spoke up, putting his hand on his shoulder.

"Al… he left us. Us and mom. He's not my dad, even if you say the contrary." Edward let go of Bradley and walked to the door and stopped abruptly. "I guess it wouldn't be bad paying the old man a visit, right Al?" He asked the young boy who nodded silently. "I'll capture her if I ever get near her. I promise." With that said, he opened the door and walked outside. Alphonse followed suit, along with the man that hid in the shadows. Once outside, Edward punched the wall while questioning the tall, lean man behind him. "Could you do me a favor Luc?" Luc nodded at him. "Could you and Havoc lay it low for a bit longer? I need you to come with me to Germany. When I see her I'll tell you. Just… just lay low for now and protect her."

"Of course, Ed. Anything to please my captain!" Alphonse grinned and hit his back, making Luc frown at the younger child's ways.

"Should I go too?" Alphonse asked when he finished playing around.

"No, I need someone to inform me when I get back home. Inform me about what's been going around."

"Sure, brother."

.

.

.

Winry, Selim, and Kain walked to the train station. Winry had an angry face as she glared at Kain._ "We already arranged this you highness!" _Kain protested when she slapped him on the face, leaving a red spot on his cheek. _"You could've waited! You can't just take me to Germany! Who am I to meet? Tell me, master mind." _She had rolled her eyes at him as he told her that a tall man with long golden locks was going to meet up with her in the train station. Not just that. The name made Winry giggle nonstop, _" Hohenheim, what kind of name would that be?"_ And of course, Kain gave her a long explanation about his background.

"So, Spain?" Winry asked Selim once more.

"Yes, your highness. I'm meeting one of the greatest scientists I've ever heard of." She smiled at him. "It must be so spectacular!" He jumped, making his bag fall to the ground. He picked up his luggage and walked in front of her, "Pierre Simon de Laplace." He told a curious looking Winry. "He's helping us against the rebels. We heard he was staying for some weeks in Spain researching with fellow friends."

"So, he would be a scientist who likes to fight?" Selim nodded, "Interesting mix. Never heard of one." Selim smirked and walked to a bench to wait until the train arrives. "And…Kain, England?"

"Yes…"

"I've always wanted to meet the queen." She bit her lip and thought about talking to the queen, in her palace, in England. "Who are you meeting?"

"An old friend who left to write about his adventures."

"Is he a Marco Polo fanatic?" She laid her hands on her hips and eyed him as he shrugged.

"I would say yes."

They're heads were drawn to the noise of the whistle ling train nearing its stop. Selim stood up and stood next to Kain who was next to Winry. Winry took in a deep breath and Kain closed his eyes, followed by Selim sighing loudly. They stood in silence as the men and women walked to exit the wooden, long train. As they walked to the doors, Winry eyed the ground next to her and saw a piece of paper flapping on the ground. She stooped to get it and grabbed Selim's shoulder. "Is this yours?"

Selim looked at it and then at Winry, quickly changing glances between the both once more. He opened the letter and grinned, making Winry more curious. Selim looked around and saw a person walk away from the train station wearing a long brown coat. This made Selim's grin wider than before.

_Selim,_

_Don't forget to read the Bible. Good luck._

_From,_

_A._

_Yeah, don't worry. I'll read it _and _pray for my mother's future._

**

* * *

****A/N: I feel complete! Lol. Random. I swear, with all these interviews for schools I'm going to melt or something... *Bangs head on table repeatedly***

**Yeah... Can't believe I finished this part... 0_****0 Oh, at the end, when they all enter the train, Winry stays in it because it will take her to Germany but then Selim has to do a pit stop in one of the cities and then get on another train that will take him to Spain. Same for Kain but he takes a boat 'cause It's 1783 or something like that... **

**Little twist in the story maby? Leave me your reviews peoples! That makes me happy and the world spin around. And it makes me type and post the story... :)**


	5. Brotherhood

**_A/N: OK! _Sorry... for who ever that read this chapter... forgot author's note... Ok, so I finally got a chance to go into my e-mail account and it made my stomach flutter in delight to know that there are people that added my story to their favorites and so I wanted to name out some cause... I don't know, there special :)**

**Lucy Alester**

**Anatidae**

**FullMetalShortStack**

**thatguy35**

**Yeah, so... They all get a cookie!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own a broken stylus, not FMA...**

_

* * *

_

_Part 5_

_Brotherhood_

Giggling. Smiling and smirking. Running and panting. _Pant, pant, pant… _A non-stop carousel that is life.

_Carousel,_

_Carousel,_

_Mom? Where are you? Mom!_

_Mom?_

The tomatoes that were once fresh with life seemed dead as they rolled to the tip of the young boy's shoe. Eyes like dishes, the boys looked at their mother on the floor, brown locks covering her freckled face as the boys knelt to her side.

_A non-stop carousel…_

**N I G H T M A R E S**

Edward woke up with a start. He glanced over at his sleeping brother and got up without awakening him. He clutched his toy and settled it near his chest. The up and down movement of his chest made the toy look alive. As the small boy opened the door, it creaked; too loud for its own good. Edward stopped midway and let a crack of light hit Alphonse's face. Edward looked back to see his brother shifting in his sleeping, mumbling something and letting his lips parted. Edward turned back to the small hall and walked out to stop when he felt his sibling yank at his shirt. The young six year old turned to Alphonse who rubbed his eyes, trying to kick the sleep away.

"Bathroom… Quick." Alphonse whispered.

Edward walked out of the room, dragging Alphonse with him. Their small feet made an echoing sound as the sauntered to the half opened door that is the bathroom. As they approached it, Alphonse rushed inside as Arthur stayed next to the door. A piercing sound made Edward's head turn to his right. Once Alphonse walked out, he found his big brother next to his mother. And, in front of them, stood their father. Tall and brave. Handsome and with no fear in his eyes. No emotion.

Their mom stood in front of them and the only thing the siblings could do was to stare into their father's eyes. As the man proceed to open the door, Edward saw as his glasses shinned and in instinct, he grabbed his father's brown cloak. The man looked back at the curious looking boy and gave him a smile, ending with a pat in the head as he opened the door once more and walked away, leaving the young woman on the floor and his two children with curious, wide eyes. The only thing that crossed Edward's and Alphonse's mind was to hug their mother. And so they did. And they stayed like that until the three found themselves sleeping on their mother's bed. That moment couldn't get better.

.

.

"Al!" Edward shouted as he ran into his father's laboratory. Both children stopped, Alphonse bumping into Edward. The oldest brother peeked in and eyed the hall. He nodded and walked in followed by his brother. As they walked, they eyed the small room. Glass containers on shelves. Hundreds of books in a corner and an alchemy circle next to the desk in the middle of the room. Edward stooped and grabbed a piece of chalk, tracing the pattern on the Alchemy circle. Alphonse sat down and watched as his big brother traced the lines. _One by one. Step by step…_

_A circle,_

_Just like a carousel._

As the boy stopped his movements, he sighed and gave his brother a grin. The grin disappeared when he heard his mother's footsteps nearing the room. Both children looked terrified as they rushed to hide. Once settled behind a stack of books, their mother entered and sighed deeply, inhaling the smell of her husband. She put her fists on her hips and rested her body weight on her right leg. Her eyes fell on the curtains and she walked to them. With one swift movement, she opened the curtains, letting the light enter the once dim room. Alphonse tripped and Edward gasped as they both fell on top of books. She glared at them, "Again? How many times have I told you? I do _not _want you in this room. Understood?"

Both boys nodded and scurried to the hall and went outside to the garden. Alphonse, along with Edward fell on the grass and watched as the fluffy clouds moved about in the sky. _Moving and moving…_

_Just like a carousel._

"_Mom!"_

"_Mom!"_

"_Hey," Laughs and merry tears, "Look what me and Al did!"_

"_Hmm…?" Curious eyes stared into shinning eyes. "What is it?"_

"_What do you think?" Excitement was visible in the feeble voice._

"_Al, Ed, you did this for me?"_

_Nodding. Breathing erratically. Nervous laugh._

"_Thank you."_

_Round and Round_

_Never Stopping…_

**L I F E**

_Hey, Al? What's wrong? You OK? I'm fine… Don't worry. I'm fine. But, what's this? Why are we falling? Al? Al! Al… _

_Yeah? I'm fine brother! Don't worry about me, yeah? You know I'm clumsy…_

A sideways smirk played across his façade.

_I know… It's just… Why is it all dark? Al? Hey, wait up!_

Covers flew as the man's arms shot up, lifting his body weight. Resting his palm on his forehead, he wiped away the droplets of salty sweat. Sighing, the man stood up and walked to the door, placing his big, rigid hand on the copper doorknob. He twisted it with a shaky hand and turned it until he heard a click. Once out in the hall, he squinted his eyes and covered them with his hand until he adjusted to the sudden change of light. The man began to walk. Right at the first corner and straight until the third intersection, then take a left and… "Al…"

Alphonse shot his head up from his book named, "_The Wonders of Philosophy._" Alphonse closed the book and tucked it inside his cape. Smiling, he spoke, "Brother, are you ready to leave soon?" Edward nodded and patted his shoulder affectionately. Alphonse raised his eyebrow as Edward dragged him to the dining room. "Hey! What are you doing?" He inquired.

"You'll see…" He told him as they entered the empty dining room. Edward guided his brother to a chair and sat him down in front of him. "Do you remember anything about mom?"

Silence.

Edward sighed at this and shrugged nonchalantly. "It doesn't matter anyways…" Alphonse parted his lips to speak but was immediately cut by his brother, "I'm not sure if it is a good idea if I meet up with the old man. I'm scared that he'll ask about mom and I'm going to have to tell him that she died. He wasn't even there!" Alphonse hit the table as he moved away from his brother. "Sorry… It's just that… He's a God damned fool sometimes." He scratched his scalp and laid his arms on the table.

"I…My memories about mom… Their blurry. After the incident that is." He hit his leg and Edward flinched at the metallic noise that came out.

Alphonse lifted his pants up and showed his auto mail leg. He smoothed it out with his gloved hand and soon he moved his eyes to the side to stare into Luc's blue orbs. "Captain, am I interrupting something?" Edward worded out a no and Luc walked to the chair next to Alphonse's, "That's a real beauty. I'm never tired to see it." Luc commented as Alphonse hit it.

"Yeah, it's a real jewel." Alphonse grinned and looked up to see Edward, "What were you saying?"

"That's the point. Even though I don't want to meet up with him… maybe he knows of a way to try and bring those memories back to you." He looked at his brother and moved his arm, shivering a bit at the thought of having a metallic body part. "I was dreaming about her…"

Alphonse shot his head up and with wide eyes, he responded, "Seriously? Again? I've told you that she's in a good place brother."

"Yeah I guess so… Oh, about the trip to Germany. I already packed up."

_._

_._

_Scene:_

_Tomatoes everywhere. Two boys and their mother lying unconscious on the floor. Wide eyes and heaving chests. Up and down. Door slightly open, only one crack of light peering in._

"_Mom?"_

"_Mom!"_

_The two boys run to her side to aid her and in the end they find her with a feeble pulse._

"_Al, call Pinano__, hurry!"_

_Creaking, walking in and out. Hurry, hurry…_

"_Don't worry. You'll be fine. We promise."_

_In and Out goes the people until and old woman around her sixties comes in. Tobacco in her mouth and an overall over her dress._

"_Trisha!"_

_Screach, gasp, yell._

"_Boys, what happened?"_

_No response. Chests heaving up and down. Up and down…_

_Round and round,_

_Up and down,_

"_We don't know…"_

_Weaping and crying._

"_Me and Al, we just walked in and saw our mother… on the floor."_

_Non-stop carousel_

_That is life._

"_Don't worry Al. We have each other, right?"_

_Silence again. Nodding of heads and salty drops of water fall on the wooden floor._

"_I'm your big brother and I'll protect you!"_

_Don't worry._

**B R O T H E R H O O D**

_That's life._

_It keeps going and going._

_Repeating itself every time._

"_Until you change your own future."_


	6. Germany Start The Tale!

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own FMA.**

* * *

Part 6

_Scene:_

_Germany, 1797._

_A girl stands under the Sun, bag in hand and hat crooked to the left. A man walks up to her and greets her. They shake hands…_

Her hand was shaken in a harsh manner, and before she knew it, she was walking next to the man that was twice her age. She smiled sheepishly at the man who smiled at her and kept walking. She noticed something – a facial feature change. From nice to serious and the only thing that crossed her head was why she was there. In this situation. She held back a yelp when her foot came in contact with a marble step.

"Watch out with these," He told her, grabbing her bag and walking up the stairs.

She let out a sigh of relief when she noticed that Newton wasn't lying when he said that the man she was supposed to meet lived near the train station. She took her gloves off and the tall man opened the door; his large, rigid hands enveloped around the small doorknob as he turned it. She stepped inside and the man followed suit. The tall man put his coat on a chair, her bag next to it, and sat down in front of the girl.

"Mr. Hohenhiem," She started, but was then hushed by the man, who got up and walked to the door to slightly open it, leaving a crack of light illuminate the left side of her face.

"Da drüben!" A man shouted.

"Du!" Another one shouted, and the two people inside the small house were alarmed as the heard the cracking of a bone.

"Wir dich endlich gefunden," A tall, old man with a green suit and many emblems on it, said.

The young girl stood up, and went to accompany her acquaintance at the window. She gasped when she saw it was a young boy, with a loaf of bread stuffed in his mouth. She held her gaze on the young boy as the men kicked him several times until he fell limp on the ground. Once the men left – who rudely spat at the boy –, the girl rushed outside to see the boy with a gushing nose and an almost broken arm.

"Don't go outside like that, Highness!" The man retorted, walking next to her to be greeted by grey coated eyes – they were green, yes, but with all the gloom around him…

"Mr. Hoheheim, fand ich etwas zu essen, sieh?" The boy smiled, and held out his hand to let Hohenheim see the small piece of apple.

The old man smiled and patted his head, saying, "Ich bin es nicht bereuen! Geh jetzt, deine Mutter muss besorgt sein."

The young girl stared with a dumbfounded expression plastered on her face, for she did _not _learn German when young and because the child ran to God knows where.

"And you're just going to let him leave like that?" The girl asked, flabbergasted.

Hohenhiem ignored her question and entered his small home. The girl scoffed, crossed her arms under her chest, and followed the blonde haired man. Once inside, she shut the door behind her and sat down on a small chair in the middle of the small living room.

"You have much to learn, your Highness," The man said, walking to sit down on a chair in front of her. "Don't underestimate the team I'm training, Winry."

"What team?"

"Right, Kain…" Hohenheim sighed, craned his neck to the left, and scratched his scalp. "You're going to be training under me, no excuses."

"What?" She spat, a bit too harshly.

"You heard me right, for the next six months, I'll be training you. But first, do you want to hear a tale?"

She didn't comprehend his reasoning. _Hear a tale? Why is he asking that when he just said I'll be learning to-to fight? Or is it to make me more strong-willed? _

Before she knew it, she nodded her head, and soon she would find out something hidden in her past. Something that shouldn't be leaked. But for her, it was fine, because she _had _to know about her background. About what happened to that one missing link.

* * *

**A/N: Hey... It has been one month... Sorry? Especially for such a short chapter... But, next chapter it's going to be like, 14 pages long, I promise!**

**Review?**

**P.S.**

**Translation to the German words - phrases - etc:**

**Da drüben: **Over There.

**Du: **You.

**Wir dich endlich gefunden: **We finally found you.

**fand ich etwas zu essen, sieh:** I found something to eat, see.

**Ich bin es nicht bereuen! Geh jetzt, deine Mutter muss besorgt sein: **That's good for you! Go now, your mother must be worried.


	7. Story Of Them

**A/N: Well, here you have it, chapter seven. Sorry it took me so long, too many things going on in my life... and I have other stories pending. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own FMA; I own my OC, Luc.**

* * *

_Part VII_

She was tapping her foot impatiently. _God_, she thought,_ how much longer? _And, before she knew it, the old man wlked into the small living room and gave her a cup of warm tea. She grimaced at the taste – don't judege her rong though, she _loves and begs _for a cup of tea every day but the man that smiled sheepishly at her didn't know how to make tea. With hesitation and a drop of sweat sliding down the side of her face, she place the tea cup on the small wooden table next to her beidge –wood painted gold – chair.

The man place the cup on the wooden table - that seemed like one of the cheapest types to find , the princess realized – in between the two, and he smiled, saying, "Would you like a cup of tea afterwards?"

The princess nodded her head and sighed, grimacing at the taste lingering on her taste buds. "Don't mind me," she said, "I'm fine…"

"Very well then," He cleared his throat and crossed his legs – right leg over left – and clasped his hands together, laying them on his lap, and got comfortable on the chair. "Would you like-

"Yes please," She interrupted the man, who gave her a skeptical look.

"You didn't even…?" He shook his head. "Very well then, Winry, it's long, so get comfortable, okay?"

She nodded and smiled, ready to hear about what was so important.

_._

_._

_Being punched like _that _was hell. Painful hell. He was burning, slowly, and it hurt so much. He never really _did _meet his parents, for he was too young to remember and so, he was gushing out blood from his mouth –which covered his teeth, making them bloody – and nose, which he hated the feel. The blood dripping down to the pebble stone floor. They punched him again, and again, and again until he was shoved against the nearest wall and was grabbed by the neck._

"_Speak, you devil," The man that held him sneered into his ear._

_He groaned and tried to shove him off._

"_Speak, God dammit!" He bellowed, punching the young boy in the gut, who coughed out more blood. He scoffed and unclenched his throat, letting the boy fall limp on the ground, arms on both side and blood everywhere. When the man heard footsteps round the corner, he began to run away, fearing it was some sort of troop._

_Left alone on the ground, the young man coughed and opened his mouth to yell, "Yeah, that's right! Go on, leave!"_

_The young boy stood up on shaky legs and craned his neck to the left, peeking through the corner of the wall. Eyes widened with fear, he moved his head back to hide. Taking in a breath, the boy exhaled and began to walk, clutching the side of his stomach in the process, and turned the corner to be greeted by a tall man with a stern look. The boy bowed respectfully and then was smacked on the juncture of his neck, making him fall unconscious._

_Before he knew it, his eyes fluttered open, enough for him to realize that he was being shoved on to a brown furred horse. Once more, he became unconscious to be awoken again, this time in a dark room, where they threw water in a wooden bucket at him. He gasped and his eyes snapped open as he panted. He took in his surroundings and relaxed once he noticed that he was back to their base. _

_Then, he saw _him_._

_From the crooked smirk, to the long, fat nose, to the long beard - which was unusually white for his age - to the clothes he was using – the best clothes he has ever seen._

_They say it is a blessing if he comes to you. _Talks _to you. But, on the contrary, he thought, he was the opposite of blessed, he was doomed._

_He kept walking until he stopped and knelt down in front of the blonde haired boy. The blonde hair on the boy's head began move furiously as the adult in front of him grabbed his chin and moved it from side to side. Without thinking twice, the boy spat at his face and the boy won a slap on the face and a groan that escaped his chapped lips. He grimaced at the odor of the man's breath near his nostrils. _

"_Do you hear me, boy?" He bellowed angrily. He nodded faintly, biting the inside of his cheek. "Good… You know what we went through to find you? Someone, please, make me fancy one of you idiots! Tell me, what did we go through?" He questioned the group of men in the room._

_One raised his hand cautiously, not wanting to be yelled at of some sort. The old man took out his pistol and shot him, the people around the young man on the floor bleeding moved away from him, mumbling and whispering to themselves. The boy looked down at his lap, quivering frightened. _

"_See what you make me do? Someone pick the body and throw it outside!" He ordered, some men picking the body and carrying it outside the room to who knows where. The man pointed the pistol at the boy's head and leaned in to whisper in his ear, voice cracking. "Do you _want_ to end like that man?"_

"_N-no," he croaked out. "Sorry, I won't do it again."_

"_Thank you. Someone escort this lovely boy to his room, please," He said sardonically, walking out the room and closing the door behind him._

_A young boy around twelve years old went up to him and picked him up from under his arm pit. "You 'kay, Luc?" he asked, helping the Luc up from his seat and nodding curtly at the guard and walking out the room._

"_I – I think I'm gonna be okay, but he did a number in there. What about you Ed, any –_

"Ed?" Winry squeaked, placing the cup with tea on the small table and wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Yes," Hohenheim responded, taking a sip from his own tea.

They stood in silence for a while, both thinking. Winry had to get this all through her system. She stood up and stretched a bit, looking down at the man sitting down in front of her.

"May I use the bathroom?" She asked and he smiled at her, getting up and pointing down the small, narrow hallway.

"Down the hall, Winry."

"Thank you."

.

.

After wiping her face with a wet cloth and taking deep breathes, Lily finally opened the door to the hall to walk back to the small living room. She went outside the bathroom and closed the door behind her, sauntering to take her seat on the small chair once more. She heard the whistling of tea broiling and she knew Hohenheim was in the kitchen.

"Would you like more tea, Winry?" He called, walking back to the living room and placing a cup filled with tea to the rim in front of her on the small table.

Lily pushed the cup away with a small smile adorning her face and nodded curtly. "Who is Luc?" She suddenly asked, feeling a bit nervous as she awaited the answer.

"That, Winry, will surprise both you _and _Luc," He whispered, placing his own cup with tea on his knee. "Now, may I continue?"

"Of course."

"Where was I," he pondered, drinking tea. "Ah, yes, Ed was with him, taking him to his room, wasn't he?"

Winry nodded in agreement.

"So, as I was saying…

"…_What about you Ed, anything happened today?" Luc asked the younger boy holding him by the back. Edward shook his head in pure honesty and snickered when some drunk men passed by them._

"_These men are ridiculous," he remarked, gaining a chuckle from his friend._

"_It's because you haven't tried rum. That thing… is…" He trailed off, grinning at the thought that crossed his head. _

"_You drink more like you do now and you'll die ten years younger," he told him, stopping in front of the door to Luc's room. "Anyway, here you are. Room sweet room, Luc."_

_Luc hugged him tightly and parted, placing his hand on the door knob and flashing him a smirk. "You're my brother Ed."_

_He entered the room and then, everything went black. As he fell to the ground unconscious, his mind became foggy with a sense of tiredness. The lack of sleep, the malnutrition and, the worse, he was running a fever, led him to fall. And so, he fell asleep – in this case unconscious – on the cold, dirt floor. It didn't matter where he slept, anyways. He lived in a cell and the last thing he wanted was to sleep in a corner that smelled like dead insects._

_Time flew by for Luc, like always. He awoke early in the morning, his legs and neck and his whole body ached for he slept in the same position the whole night and when he fell he felt something crack inside. With the support of his elbows, he got up on his knees and blinked a few times to adjust to the dim lighting in the room. He stretched his arms above his head and got up completely, squinting as he approached the wooden door that led out to the hall way. _

_Skipping breakfast wouldn't hurt anyone, he thought, opening the door and checking both ways before sprinting out of the room in a haze. He ran and stopped at the first intersection, looking both ways once more before heading left. Then right, and left and one more right and he was out of the barracks before he knew it._

_Once out, he began to walk to Bamberg, located in Germany. He sighed and sat at the edge of one of the two bridges that crossed by the town. His legs dangled from the edge of the bridge and he stared at his reflection in the river. He had cuts here and there on his face and his hair was disheveled. His clothes, given to him by one of the members in the rebel group which, if he remembered correctly, was only three years older than him, was cut because of the sword fights and all the stealing he's been through. _

_Feeble footsteps were heard and Luc's attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps. A girl, maybe two years younger than him, was walking on the edge of the bridge, arms straight, as if to catch her balance, and kicking her feet up into the air every time she stepped forward. She stumbled at one point and before she fell to the river, Luc grabbed her dress and pulled her down to the cobble stone floor of the bridge, both landing with a _thump! _The girl looked down at Luc and held his gaze. Luc did the same and then realized the compromising position they found themselves. She was on top of him, hands on either side of his head, the end of her dress had ridden up just slightly and he held her hip on either side. _

_Thump! Thump!_

_Luc swore she could hear his heartbeat and before he could open his mouth to say something, she got up before him and blushed, looking the other way and trying to ignore his presence._

"_I'm sorry," She muttered, tugging at her lower lip, which earned her a barking laugh from Luc. "Why do you think it is so funny?"_

"_I'm _sorry_," He said. "I find it amusing; how you blush. Sorry, really. I'm Luc by the way," he whispered, giving her his hand._

_She looked up at him with wide, brown eyes and slapped his hand away before bowing. "I'm Mei__," She replied, standing up straight and giving him her hand which he shook lightly._

"_Good, we both know our names now," He told her, grinning and scratching his scalp slightly. _

"_Luc!"_

_The foresaid boy craned his neck and waved at Alphonse who was jogging towards them. Once he reached the duo, Alphonse panted and looked up at Luc who arched a brow in question._

"He's _going ballistic on everyone back at the –" He trailed off, before stopping and looking at the girl next to him. He blushed when she smiled sweetly at him before continuing. "Back at the barracks…" He mumbled._

"_What?" Luc blurted._

"_I don't know what happened, but brother is in danger. The last thing I saw before running over here was that he had a gun pointed at him. We have to go," He quickly said, before grabbing Luc's arm and pulling him with him. _

_Luc waved at the girl before calling out, "Good day to you, Malady!"_

_And so, Alphonse looked back at the girl as well before flashing a smile which made her blush and turn around, running the other way._

"Mei?" Asked Winry in bewilderment. "She knows Alphonse and this Luc character?" She added quickly before Hohenheim could say anything.

"Why, heard the name before, Winry?"

She nodded.

"Well, _that _is a surprise," He said, chuckling silently at himself before clearing his throat.

"I met a girl the other day named Mei. I- I don't know, maybe we're talking about the same person."

"Maybe not," he said, placing either hand on his lap and intertwining his fingers together.

"Maybe…" She mumbled under her breath.

"The one I'm speaking of is one of Ed's best spies. She is a master at disguise, and, frankly speaking, I wouldn't like to be in a long range fight with her. The daggers she throws are amazing," He admired, smiling at Winry.

"So she…"

"Yes," He said, before continuing.

_Once in the barracks, Luc lounged himself on top of _him _and Alphonse hit the hand with the pistol, which went out flying. Edward let out a breath he didn't know he had before glaring at _him_. _

"_What the hell is wrong with you?" Edward spat out, grabbing Alphonse and Luc by the arm, backing them up. "What, cat got your tongue?" He continued, when the man growled and got up to throw himself at the young boy, but he was stop by some men._

"_Brother," Alphonse warned, placing his hand across Edward's chest, stopping him from walking any closer to the old man._

_Edward stomped out of the room, followed by both Luc and his brother. In the hall, he clutched the fabric of his shirt in front of heart. He hyperventilated for what seemed like forever as Luc patted his back, trying to calm him down._

"_I'm going to make my own squad," Edward said when his breathing became normal again._

"_What?" Both boys asked at the same time as Edward stood up._

"_Help me out with this, okay? Please," He begged, bowing in respect. "Luc, I would like for you to be my second man, Alphonse…" He trailed off, waiting a moment so that his words were sunk in to their train of thoughts; so they could analyze the moment. "I want you to be the one to teach all the rookies martial arts. I also want you to be my trusty subordinate, understood?" He asked mockingly._

"_Yes, sir!" He told him, placing his right hand to his forehead in salute. _

"What happened after that?" Winry asked.

"Well, let us just say that…_he _agreed to that term. Mei?"

"Yes? What about her?"

"Well, two years after they had made their group, Alphonse bumped into her and, I must say, they made a dashing couple," He sardonically said. "He asked her to be commander of the special barracks under Ed's rule, for better lack of a word."

"They really pulled it off, didn't they?" She asked silently, looking down at her feet.

"Yes, and I, as their father –" Winry looked up at him with wide eyes and mouth agape, "-am proud for them.

"You're…?"

"Yes, Ed and Alphonse are my sons. If only he knew…"He teased at the wind or something or at himself, Winry wasn't quite sure. "You wanted to know about Luc, didn't you?"

"Yes," she responded too quickly.

"He – he's…"

_My brother?_

"Surprised, are we not, Winry?" He inquired, getting up from his seat and looking out the window of the small house. "He was too, when I told him. But, why not ask him yourself? He's over there, by the alley, after all. Ed must have sent him."

Before she knew it, Winry was walking out of the small house, he heart beating loudly behind her rib cage. It was then, she realized, that there was a lot of secrets yet to be told to her, of her family that is.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you guys liked the chapter. It could have come out better than I had planned... but oh well. What to do...**

**Reviews anyone?**


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